With post-season testing wrapped up, thus ends the 2022 F3 season. With new drivers emerging, we got a little taste of 2023.
F3 Post-season testing is a way for teams to test out potential drivers for the following season. A total of eighteen hours were spent experimenting with different set-ups, installation laps, and data analysis. It was also a chance for fans to get a sneak peek of who to expect on the grid next season. Here are five takeaways from the post-season test.
1. Taylor Barnard the standout star for Jenzer Motorsport
Amongst the three days of testing, there was a recurring name that kept showing up. Taylor Barnard. The young driver from Norwich, UK is currently competing in the ADAC German F4 championship. The Brit sits third in the championship and has been nominated for the prestigious Aston Martin Autosport BRDC award.
A few days before testing commenced, Barnard was announced as a test driver for Jenzer Motorsport. He was joined by fellow ADAC F4 contender Nikita Bedrin and Euroformula Open driver Alex Garcia. Barnard certainly proved worthy of his reputation as he placed in the top ten in four of the six sessions – topping the final session.
Although Barnard is young, his talent speaks of maturity, and with the impressive results he showed throughout testing it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Barnard in F3 next season.
🏁 TOP TEN – FINAL SESSION 🏁
Taylor Barnard 📸
Josep Maria Marti
Hugh Barter
Nikita Bedrin
Francesco Pizzi
Brad Benavides
Hadrien David
Matias Zagazeta
Max Esterson
Joel Granfors#F3 #F3Testing pic.twitter.com/Z8or1YfkCg— Formula 3 (@Formula3) September 23, 2022
2. Charouz Racing’s glimmer of hope
Charouz Racing had 2022 in Formula 3 to forget. The team finished the season with just a singular point and bottom of the table. However, the post-season test looked more promising as Peruvian Matias Zagazeta gave them their first appearance in the top ten on the last session of testing.
Although problems did emerge throughout the morning session as DRS failed to open for all three drivers, resulting in all three drivers being at the bottom of the leaderboard. On Day 2, Zagazeta and Alessandro Famularo found themselves running in the top ten for quite some time.
With all the focus now on the 2023 season, Charouz Racing can enter the season with optimism.
3. Strong end for returning rookie Franco Colapinto
Franco Colapinto had an impressive rookie season, with two wins in the Sprint Race and five podiums he finished ninth in the championship and is looking to fight for the championship next season. Testing for MP Motorsport, he managed to finish top of the leaderboard in the morning session of Day 3. With more time to practice in the car can Colapinto fight for the title next year? He is expected to return for another season of Formula 3 and be a contender for race wins throughout the year.
4. Trident looks strong
Following an intense championship battle with PREMA during the season, in a bid to retain their title, Trident finished second in the standings thanks to a strong line-up consisting of Zane Maloney, Roman Stanek, and Jonny Edgar.
In post-season testing, they selected Oliver Goethe, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Leonardo Fornaroli. All three drivers found themselves in the top ten – ahead of Prema – throughout the session. With Goethe already having F3 experience he seems the favorite to be announced for next season. But as we saw once again in 2023 Trident can identify young talent.
5. Zak O’Sullivan switches to PREMA
In an unexpected turn of events, Willams Academy driver Zak O’Sullivan has seemingly switched from Carlin Racing. Having won the GB3 Championship in 2021, Carlin announced that O’Sullivan would be representing them in F3 for the 2022 season. He finished the season eleventh in the championship and took two podiums.
But it was PREMA that announced O’Sullivan would be one of their post-season test drivers. He competed alongside FREC drivers Dino Beganovic and Paul Aron. All three drivers had strong sessions giving Prema plenty of options for the lineup next season.
With post-season testing now complete, we begin the waiting game. Which F3 drivers from 2022 make the jump to F2? Which drivers will teams select for the 2023 lineups? And when will the 2023 calendar be announced?
