The final day of Formula 3 pre-testing began as it was an extended morning session instead of an afternoon one.
The star of F3 testing in Bahrain, Gregorie Saucy, had yet another strong session finishing third with Hitech’s Gabriele Mini just 0.35s behind Trident’s Gabriel Bortoleto. The session was extended until 1 pm local time, giving the drivers five hours to get their work done.
Morning Session (AM)
Vans Amersfoort Racing’s Rafael Villagomez was the first driver to go top of the times before ART’s Saucy once again took his place. With attention shifting to race runs, times died down with Villagomez’s teammate Caio Collet clocking in 61 laps – the first driver to do so. PHM driver Sophia Floersch caused a red flag with five minutes to go after stopping on the side of the track. With just two minutes left, no driver returned to the track.
The ART drivers were the busiest of the teams with each completing over 50 laps. Campos’ Hugh Barter and PREMA’s Dino Beganovic were separated by 0.004s as both rookies looked to maximize their race runs.
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Trident) – 1.47.417
- Gabriele Mini (Hitech Pulse-Eight) – 1.47.452
- Gregorie Saucy (ART Grand Prix) – 1.47.519
- Paul Aron (PREMA) – 1.47.641
- Hugh Barter (Campos Racing) – 1.47.704
- Dino Beganovic (PREMA) – 1.47.713
- Pepe Marti (Campos Racing) – 1.47.789
- Caio Collet (VAR) 1.47.802
- Leonardo Fornaroli (Trident) – 1.47.858
- Kaylen Frederick (ART Grand Prix) – 1.47878
TOP TEN – END OF FINAL SESSION 🏁
Gabriel Bortoleto 📸
Gabriele Mini
Gregoire Saucy
Paul Aron
Hugh Barter
Dino Beganovic
Josep Maria Marti
Caio Collet
Leonardo Fornaroli
Kaylen Frederick#F3 #F3Testing pic.twitter.com/SPtW2fpnQ4— Formula 3 (@Formula3) February 16, 2023
With F3 testing now finished, it’s only a couple of weeks before drivers will be returning to Bahrain to race in round 1 of the 2023 Formula 3 season.
Hitech has yet to confirm its third seat for the Formula 3 Championship with reigning GB3 Champion Luke Browning seemingly the favorite to step in. With Browning’s strong performance throughout testing, will Hitech officially add him to the grid over the next few days?
Check back with LWOS in a couple of days as we break down five takeaways from F3 testing and which drivers are in contention for rookie of the year.
