Day 1 of F3 testing kicked off the 2023 pre-season. A familiar name topped the charts on Tuesday, as 17 rookies made their debut.
Hosted at the season opener, the Bahrain International Circuit, day 1 of the F3 testing saw the new grid take to the track for the first time. The day consisted of two sessions that lasted two and a half hours each with drivers spending the day learning the different tires and setups. Let’s take a look at the top ten of each session.
Morning Session (AM)
It was a quiet morning as 17 rookies took to the track. Vans Amersfoort Racing driver Tommy Smith was the only driver who set a time for the opening hour. Hitech’s newest addition Luke Browning had the busiest session clocking in 29 laps to showcase his talent in hopes of securing the final seat on the grid. PREMA had a strong opening session with all three of their drivers finishing in the top ten. However, it was ART’s Gregoire Saucy that topped the times.
- Gregoire Saucy (ART Grand Prix) – 1.49.155
- Taylor Barnard (Jenzer Motorsport) – 1.49.199
- Zak O’Sullivan (PREMA) – 1.49.448
- Jonny Edgar (MP Motorsport) – 1.49.456
- Pepe Marti (Campos Racing) – 1.49.500
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Trident) – 1.49.566
- Caio Collet (VAR) – 1.49.619
- Paul Aron (PREMA) – 1.49.687
- Nikita Bedrin (Jenzer Motorsport) – 1.49.712
- Dino Beganovic (PREMA) – 1.49.797
TOP TEN – END OF MORNING SESSION 🏁
Gregoire Saucy 📸
Taylor Barnard
Zak O’Sullivan
Jonny Edgar
Josep Maria Marti
Gabriel Bortoleto
Caio Collet
Paul Aron
Nikita Bedrin
Dino Beganovic#F3 #F3Testing pic.twitter.com/xOvgahhGv7— Formula 3 (@Formula3) February 14, 2023
Afternoon Session (PM)
All teams were quickly out of the pits with the exception of Hitech Pulse-Eight as they all looked to make up for the lost time. Gregorie Saucy once again topped the times with teammate Kaylen Frederick slotting into fourth. Browning definitely showed Hitech he’s worthy of a seat as he went into sixth place ahead of his teammate Gabriele Mini.
- Gregorie Saucy (ART Grand Prix) – 1.47.563
- Paul Aron (PREMA) – 1.47.889
- Pepe Marti (Campos Racing) – 1.48.125
- Kaylen Frederick (ART Grand Prix) – 1.48.136
- Zak O’Sullivan (PREMA) – 1.48.162
- Luke Browning (Hitech Pulse-Eight) – 1.48.206
- Gabriele Mini (Hitech Pulse-Eight) – 1.48.214
- Dino Beganovic (PREMA) – 1.48.279
- Taylor Barnard (Jenzer Motorsport) – 1.48.393
- Franco Colapinto (MP Motorsport) – 1.48.434
With day 1 of F3 testing now complete, check back into LWOS tomorrow for a breakdown of the day two sessions.
