Race Report

Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2022
FIA F3 MEISTERSCHAFT

Circuit: Sakhir (Bahrain), Length 5.412 km, 18^th - 20^th March 2022, Rounds 1 & 2
www.bahraingp.com

JENZER MOTORSPORT 2022:
Ido Cohen (ISR), Niko Kari (FIN), William Alatalo (FIN)

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Alatalo shines at the FIA F3 season start in Bahrain

The FIA F3 Championship, as had also been planned for 2020, took place at the season opener in the FIA F1 program of the 2022 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. In 2020 the race had been canceled due to the pandemic, now it took place, following the three official test days here in early March. It was immediately apparent how close together the top-class field of 30 vehicles was.

Race One Qualifying

Friday, 18/03/22, 16.30 – 17.00, Weather: Sunny, 23°C

On Friday morning, free practice got down to business. Our drivers were quite excited and achieved the following places: Niko P18, William P21, Ido P27.
Qualifying started not much later. Luckily the wind wasn't quite as strong as in the previous days, but there was still a lot of sand on the track. William was in great shape, clocking a fastest sector time and briefly appearing in 6^th place. But his lap time was canceled because he had exceeded the track limits at one point. In the end he reached 18^th place on the grid. Ido was 15^th with the first set of tyres, but he wasn't able to improve further with the second set. He reached 22^nd place. Niko was placed 25th in this first qualifying session of the new season.
This season, two FIA F3 races will be held per race weekend. The starting grid for race 1 (sprint race, 40 minutes) is based on the reversed 12 first positions of the qualifying session. Race 2 on Sunday (feature race, 45 minutes) takes place according to the exact result in qualifying. These constellations promise exciting races!

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FIA F3 Championship

Race One (Sprint-Race, 40 Minutes)

Saturday, 19/03/22, 12.45, Weather: Sunny, 21°C

The first race of the new season started in bright sunshine and accompanied by a moderate Bahrain breeze. William got off to a good start and already moved up several positions on the first lap. After that, he skilfully worked his way up the field, lap by lap. Halfway through the race, William found himself in 11^th place, just shy of the desirable top ten and first points. Gradually, however, he began to feel the tires deteriorate and as a result he was no longer able to attack as he would have liked. William crossed the finish line in an excellent 11^th place which also gave him a very good starting position for Sunday's race. Ido also started very well and immediately made up places. He fought for positions in an exciting race and made it up to a very good 14^th place, which he safely brought accross the finish line. Niko begun the race from further behind. After the start he was a bit trapped and could not move freely immediately. After a few laps he found his rhythm and made overtaking his business. As he had just worked his way up to 17^th place, his rear wheel was clipped by a competitor, causing a flat rear tire on Niko’s car. He picked up a new wheel in the pits and rejoined the race in 28^th place. In the end he reached the finish line in 26^th place.

© Dutch Photo Agency

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FIA F3 Championship

Race Two (Feature Race, 45 Minutes)

Sunday, 20/03/22, 11.45, Weather: Sunny, 26°C

The feature race of the FIA F3 Championship started under a crystal blue sky and in hot temperatures. There were a few accidents on the dusty track and the safety car had to be deployed. William had a good start and was now excelling in 11^th place. Ido got away well, but suffered a hit when there was a contact with a competitor, which affected the set-up of his vehicle from then on. He was in 16^th place. Niko moved up to 23^rd place. At the restart there was another accident and the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) came into action. After that, William managed to work his way up the field. He soon appeared in the top ten. William managed to gain 10 places overall and was up in 7^th place. But now he felt the tyre degradation and had to adjust to the new situation. As a result, he slipped back to 10^th place. In the end he managed to hold on to the position with regular lap times. When a competitor fell back in the last lap, this meant that William finished in a superb 9^th place and collected his first points! Niko managed to improve his position until even in the last corner of the race which brought him up into 15^th place. With a slightly damaged vehicle, Ido managed a steady race amd to keep 16^th place to the finish line. After the race, Yeany received a penalty, which meant that Niko and Ido moved up one place each.

Further official test days will take place on 5^th/6^th April in Jerez (E), and on 15^th/16^th April in Barcelona (E) in Europe before the second race event of the season is held in Imola (I) on the weekend of April 24^th.

Championship standings after 2 out of 18 races:

1^st Victor Martins (F), 25 points; 2^nd Arthur Leclerc (F), 24 points; 3^rd Oliver Bearman (GB), 17 points; 4^th Gregoire Saucy (CH), 15 points; 5^th Juan Manauel Correa (USA), 14 points; 6^th Franco Colapinto (ARG), 12 points; 15^th William Alatalo (FIN), 2 points

Ido Cohen (ISR)

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Niko Kari (FIN)

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William Alatalo (FIN)

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2022 FIA F3 Championship

For more information:

• www.fiaformula3.com
• www.italiaracing.net