Wikipedia

2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship

The 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship was a multi-event, Formula Regional open-wheel single seater motor racing championship. The championship featured a mix of professional and amateur drivers, competing in Formula Regional cars. It was the fifth season of the championship, and the first season under the Formula Regional moniker, after a rebrand happened due to the FIA ending the F3 category name.[1][2]

The season was held over five consecutive weekends in January and February 2022.

For the first time, the second race of a weekend was a reversed-grid race, reversing the top 10 finishers of race one.[3]

Arthur Leclerc won the drivers' championship with two races to spare, while his team, Mumbai Falcons India Racing, won the teams' championship. Pepe Martí, second overall, won the Rookie Cup, and Khaled Al Qubaisi earned Masters Cup honors.

Teams and drivers edit

Team No. Driver Status Rounds
  Evans GP 2   Patrik Pasma[4] 3–5
12   Sami Meguetounif[5] R 5
14   Nicola Marinangeli[6] All
30   Michael Belov[4] 3–5
74   Cem Bölükbaşı[7] 1
78   Frederick Lubin[8] R 1–3
  Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema 3   Paul Aron[9] All
52   Jak Crawford[10] All
66   Khaled Al Qubaisi[11] M All
88   Hamda Al Qubaisi[12] R All
99   Amna Al Qubaisi[11] All
  Hitech Grand Prix 4   Gabriele Minì[13] 1–2, 4–5
5   Leonardo Fornaroli[13] R 1–3
6   Isack Hadjar[14] All
7   Joshua Dufek[13] R 1–3
  Vladislav Lomko[a][15] R 5
92   Owen Tangavelou[13] R 3–5
  BlackArts Racing 9   Thomas Luedi[b][16] M All
21   Brice Morabito[16] R 1
26   Ido Cohen[17] 1
  Pierre-Louis Chovet[18] 2–5
36   Ido Cohen 4–5
  Mumbai Falcons India Racing 10   Dino Beganovic[19] All
28   Arthur Leclerc[19] All
37   Oliver Bearman[19] R 4–5
46   Sebastián Montoya[19] R 1–3
  Evans GP Academy 11   Levente Révész[20] R All
77   David Morales[21] R All
  3Y by R-ace GP[22] 15   Oliver Goethe[c][23] All
16   Lorenzo Fluxá[24] All
17   Hadrien David[25] 1–2
  Léna Bühler[23] 4–5
18   Gabriel Bortoleto[26] 1–2
  Francesco Braschi[27] R 3–5
  Pinnacle Motorsport 23   Pepe Martí[28] R All
27   Dilano van 't Hoff[28] R All
34   Salih Yoluç[28] M All
55   Ayato Iwasaki[d][28] R All
Icon Status
R Rookie
M Master
G Guest drivers ineligible for points

Race calendar edit

The first proposal for the race calendar was announced on 21 September 2021. As the COVID-19 pandemic meant that most parts of Asia still were under heavy restrictions, the calendar only consisted of races in the United Arab Emirates for the second year in a row.[30]

Round Circuit Date Supporting Map of circuit locations
1 R1 Yas Marina Circuit
(Grand Prix Circuit) 		22 January 6 Hours of Abu Dhabi
Gulf Radical Cup'
R2 23 January
R3
2 R1 Dubai Autodrome
(International Circuit) 		29 January UAE Touring Car Championship
R2 30 January
R3
3 R1 Dubai Autodrome
(Grand Prix Circuit) 		5 February Gulf Radical Cup
UAE Touring Car Championship
R2 6 February
R3
4 R1 Dubai Autodrome
(Grand Prix Circuit) 		12 February Asian Le Mans Series
R2 13 February
R3
5 R1 Yas Marina Circuit
(Grand Prix Circuit) 		19 February Asian Le Mans Series
R2
R3 20 February

Race results edit

Round Circuit Pole position Fastest Lap Winning driver Winning team Rookie Winner
1 R1 Yas Marina Circuit
(Grand Prix Circuit) 		  Sebastián Montoya   Hadrien David   Sebastián Montoya   Mumbai Falcons India Racing   Sebastián Montoya
R2   Isack Hadjar   Gabriel Bortoleto   3Y by R-ace GP   Sebastián Montoya
R3   Gabriele Minì   Pepe Martí   Gabriele Minì   Hitech Grand Prix   Pepe Martí
2 R1 Dubai Autodrome
(International Circuit) 		  Sebastián Montoya   Hadrien David   Hadrien David   3Y by R-ace GP   Pepe Martí
R2   Hadrien David   Arthur Leclerc   Mumbai Falcons India Racing   Pepe Martí
R3   Hadrien David   Pepe Martí   Hadrien David   3Y by R-ace GP   Pepe Martí
3 R1 Dubai Autodrome
(Grand Prix Circuit) 		  Sebastián Montoya   Sebastián Montoya   Sebastián Montoya   Mumbai Falcons India Racing   Sebastián Montoya
R2   Dino Beganovic   Dino Beganovic   Mumbai Falcons India Racing   Pepe Martí
R3   Dilano van 't Hoff   Sebastián Montoya   Arthur Leclerc   Mumbai Falcons India Racing   Pepe Martí
4 R1 Dubai Autodrome
(Grand Prix Circuit) 		  Paul Aron   Paul Aron   Isack Hadjar   Hitech Grand Prix   Pepe Martí
R2   Jak Crawford   Patrik Pasma   Evans GP   Oliver Bearman
R3   Paul Aron   Dino Beganovic   Arthur Leclerc   Mumbai Falcons India Racing   Pepe Martí
5 R1 Yas Marina Circuit
(Grand Prix Circuit) 		  Arthur Leclerc   Arthur Leclerc   Arthur Leclerc   Mumbai Falcons India Racing   Oliver Bearman
R2   Isack Hadjar   Gabriele Minì   Hitech Grand Prix   Pepe Martí
R3   Isack Hadjar   Gabriele Minì   Isack Hadjar   Hitech Grand Prix   Pepe Martí

Season report edit

The season started off at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, with Sebastian Montoya and Gabriele Mini sharing poles in qualifying. Montoya won the opening race, while multiple collisions behind him forced the race to end under the safety car. The second race was won by Gabriel Bortoleto, his maiden win in the FR category, remaining largely unchallenged as his biggest on-track rival, Isack Hadjar, retired halfway through the race. Race three saw a big crash at the start as Cem Bölükbaşı stalled on the grid and was hit by two other drivers, a collision heavy enough that the lengthy subsequent repairs on his car saw him withdraw from the championship. Gabriele Mini won the race, followed home by Jak Crawford and Hadjar. At the end of the first round, Mini led the standings by three points over Arthur Leclerc, with Montoya in third.[31]

As the championship headed into its three-round Dubai leg, Montoya took pole again, this time sharing the achievement with Hadrien David. The latter overtook the former on lap three of the first race and then led home in a race where championship leader Mini had to retire late on due to a mechanical failure. The reverse-grid race two not only gave Leclerc his first win of the season as he passed polesitter Pierre-Louis Chovet, he also took the points lead to which he held on until the very end. Hadrien David won again in the third race of the weekend, his last race of the season as the Frenchman left the championship following round two. Poor results meant Mini dropped out of the championship top three, while leader Leclerc was nine and twelve points clear respectively of French duo David and Hadjar.[32]

The circuit configuration was changed for the fourth round, but Montoya still prevailed in qualifying, accompanied by Dilano van 't Hoff. Montoya converted his race one pole into a win once again, heading a Mumbai Falcons 1-2-3 in a red-flagged race due to Francesco Braschi's engine blowing up halfway through. In race two, Dino Beganovic overtook four cars at the start and three more later to win from eighth place on the grid. Van 't Hoff wasn't able to hold on to his pole position, relinquishing the lead of the race to Pepe Martí, who was then overtaken for the win by Leclerc. The Monegasque now had a 35-point advantage over second-placed Martí, with Montoya in third, a further four points behind.[33]

The fourth round of the championship saw multiple changes in the driver lineup, as many drivers elected to only take part in three rounds to keep their rookie status for championships in the same category later in the year. Estonian driver Paul Aron took double pole for the third and last Dubai event, but it was Hadjar who took the first race win, after the pair battled all race long. Braschi started from reverse grid pole in race two, but was passed at the start by Patrik Pasma. Jak Crawford overtook Oliver Bearman, who made his debut in round 4, in the last corner of the last lap, finishing in second place by a tenth of a second. Leclerc once again extended his championship lead after taking race three victory from Aron, he was 40 points ahead of Martí and Hadjar heading into the last round.[34]

The championship returned to Abu Dhabi for its season finale, with Leclerc converting his race one pole into a dominant victory, claiming the drivers' championship in the process as Martí, the only other driver still in contention, had a horrible race and finished in 12th after dropping back to 23rd at one point. The penultimate race of the season was a chaotic one, with Mini taking a closely-fought win over Beganovic. Hadjar and Mini ended the championship with a Hitech 1-2 in the final race.[35]

At the end of the season, Leclerc had amassed a 60-point advantage over his closest rival, although the very competitive Montoya, David and Mini didn't enter all rounds. Martí was the biggest surprise of the season as came second and took a dominant rookie title. The 2022 season saw grids climb to record highs for the championship, culminating at 29 entries for the season finale. The addition of a reversed grid for the second race meant more overtakes, and even the Masters Cup was reintroduced and won by Khaled Al Qubaisi, after there were no masters' entries in 2021. Mumbai Falcons India Racing took their first teams' championship in their second season of competition, over 80 points ahead of second place.

Championship standings edit

Scoring system edit

Points were awarded to the top ten drivers.

Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th   9th   10th 
Points 25 18 15 12 10 8 6 4 2 1

Drivers' Championship edit

Pos Driver ABU1
  		DUB1
  		DUB2
  		DUB3
  		ABU2
  		Pts
R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3
1   Arthur Leclerc 3 3 5 9 1 7 2 3 1 4 5 1 1 3 12 218
2   Pepe Martí Ret Ret 4 2 7 2 4 4 2 3 4 3 12 4 6 158
3   Isack Hadjar 4 16† 3 8 3 3 5 11 Ret 1 11 10 4 25 1 134
4   Gabriele Minì 2 Ret 1 Ret 13 4 5 7 4 8 1 2 130
5   Dino Beganovic 5 Ret 11 5 2 5 3 1 15 Ret 14 27† 2 2 7 130
6   Jak Crawford 11 7 2 4 9 6 12 7 12 6 2 6 3 Ret 4 113
7   Sebastián Montoya 1 4 10 3 Ret 19 1 9 4 92
8   Paul Aron Ret 15 7 15 10 23 6 14 Ret 2 8 2 5 Ret 3 80
9   Hadrien David Ret Ret 9 1 4 1 64
10   Lorenzo Fluxá 6 2 8 13 5 9 11 5 8 11 9 16 16 9 8 64
11   Patrik Pasma 13 8 5 9 1 7 7 Ret 5 63
12   Michael Belov 10 2 6 15 6 5 14 6 9 55
13   Dilano van 't Hoff DNS DNS DNS 7 Ret 24† 7 6 3 8 13 12 9 5 11 51
14   Gabriel Bortoleto 10 1 6 6 Ret 8 46
15   Oliver Bearman 7 3 24 6 Ret 23 29
16   Pierre-Louis Chovet 10 6 12 8 12 7 12 10 11 10 8 10 26
17   Leonardo Fornaroli 8 5 22† 11 8 11 9 26† 9 22
18   Joshua Dufek 9 6 16 12 16 10 16 27† 10 12
19   Frederick Lubin 7 8 21 16 12 14 17 19 18 10
20   Sami Meguetounif 13 7 22 6
21   Ido Cohen WD WD WD 25† 26† 8 27 11 15 4
22   Francesco Braschi Ret 15 14 10 19 9 11 23 19 3
23   Levente Révész 13 9 12 18 14 13 15 13 Ret 18 21 17 20 14 14 2
24   Nicola Marinangeli Ret Ret 13 14 11 15 14 10 11 14 17 13 Ret 13 16 1
25   Oliver Goethe Ret 14 18 19 DNS DNS 23 18 13 13 12 14 17 10 17 1
26   Amna Al Qubaisi 14 10 Ret Ret 19 17 21 21 DNS 20 20 20 Ret 18 Ret 1
27   Ayato Iwasaki 15 11 15 21 18 18 19 25 17 22 16 23 19 16 20 0
28   Hamda Al Qubaisi 12 Ret 14 20 17 16 18 16 16 17 Ret 18 18 17 21 0
29   Léna Bühler 26† 18 15 15 12 Ret 0
30   Brice Morabito 18 12 17 0
31   Owen Tangavelou 20 17 20 16 15 25 23 20 13 0
32   Thomas Lüdi 19 13 20 24† 22 22 26† 24 22 24 22 22 26 24 25 0
33   David Morales 20† 17† Ret 17 15 Ret 24 20 19 19 25 19 22 19 18 0
34   Vladislav Lomko 21 15 26 0
35   Khaled Al Qubaisi 16 Ret 19 22 20 20 22 23 23 23 23 21 24 22 Ret 0
36   Salih Yoluç 17 Ret Ret 23 21 21 25 22 21 21 24 26† 25 21 24 0
—   Cem Bölükbaşı Ret Ret Ret —
Pos Driver R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 Pts
ABU1
  		DUB1
  		DUB2
  		DUB3
  		ABU2
 
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver Second place
Bronze Third place
Green Points finish
Blue Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Retired (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)

Bold – Pole

Italics – Fastest Lap

Rookie Cup edit

Pos Driver ABU1
  		DUB1
  		DUB2
  		DUB3
  		ABU2
  		Pts
R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3
1   Pepe Martí Ret Ret 4 2 7 2 4 4 2 3 4 3 12 4 6 298
2   Dilano van 't Hoff DNS DNS DNS 7 Ret 24† 7 6 3 8 13 12 9 5 11 167
3   Sebastián Montoya 1 4 10 3 Ret 19 1 9 4 145
4   Levente Révész 13 9 12 18 14 13 15 13 Ret 18 21 17 20 14 14 135
5   Leonardo Fornaroli 8 5 22† 11 8 11 9 26† 9 104
6   Hamda Al Qubaisi 12 Ret 14 20 17 16 18 16 16 17 Ret 18 18 17 21 92
7   Joshua Dufek 9 6 16 12 16 10 16 27† 10 89
8   Francesco Braschi Ret 15 14 10 19 9 11 23 19 80
9   Ayato Iwasaki 15 11 15 21 18 18 19 25 17 22 16 23 19 16 20 80
10   Frederick Lubin 7 8 21 16 12 14 17 19 18 79
11   Oliver Bearman 7 3 24 6 Ret 23 73
12   David Morales 20† 17† Ret 17 15 Ret 24 20 19 19 25 19 22 19 18 56
13   Owen Tangavelou 20 17 20 16 15 25 23 20 13 48
14   Sami Meguetounif 13 7 22 27
15   Brice Morabito 18 12 17 16
16   Vladislav Lomko 21 15 26 12
Pos Driver R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 Pts
ABU1
  		DUB1
  		DUB2
  		DUB3
  		ABU2
 

Masters Cup edit

Pos Driver ABU1
  		DUB1
  		DUB2
  		DUB3
  		ABU2
  		Pts
R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3
1   Khaled Al Qubaisi 16 Ret 19 22 20 20 22 23 23 23 23 21 24 22 Ret 287
2   Salih Yoluç 17 Ret Ret 23 21 21 25 22 21 21 24 26† 25 21 24 263
3   Thomas Lüdi 19 13 20 24† 22 22 26† 24 22 24 22 22 26 24 25 257
Pos Driver R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 Pts
ABU1
  		DUB1
  		DUB2
  		DUB3
  		ABU2
 

Teams' Championship edit

Ahead of each event, the teams nominated two drivers that accumulate teams' points.

Pos Team Pts
1   Mumbai Falcons India Racing 348
2   Hitech Grand Prix 264
3   Pinnacle Motorsport 209
4   Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema 193
5   3Y by R-ace GP 128
6   Evans GP 118
7   BlackArts Racing 30
8   Evans GP Academy 8

Notes edit

  1. ^ Lomko is a Russian driver racing under a French licence.
  2. ^ Luedi is a Swiss-Chinese driver racing under a Hongkongese licence.
  3. ^ Goethe is a Danish-German driver racing under a Monégasque licence.
  4. ^ Iwasaki is a Japanese driver racing under a Philippine licence.

References edit

  1. ^ Wood, Ida (2 August 2021). "FIA brings end to F3 as a category, BRDC British F3 rebrands to GB3". Formula Scout. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  2. ^ Wood, Ida (7 December 2021). "Confusion reigns as two series adopt FRegional Asia name for 2022". Formula Scout. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  3. ^ "F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA Confirms 2022 Season – F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA". www.f3asia.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Evans GP on Instagram". Instagram. Evans GP. 3 February 2022. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Sami Meguetounif on Instagram". Instagram. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  6. ^ GP, Evans (21 November 2021). "Evans GP signs Nicola Marinangeli for Asian F3". Evans GP | Official Web Site | Asian F3 Team. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  7. ^ "Cem Bölükbaşı, Evans GP ile F3 Asya serisinde de yarışacak!". Twitter (in Turkish). Motorsport.com Türkiye. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  8. ^ Allen, Peter (14 November 2021). "Lubin named first Asian F3 signing for 2022 by Evans GP". Formula Scout. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Abu Dhabi Racing enters Paul Aron in 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship". Prema Powerteam. 13 January 2022. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Jak Crawford To Race With PREMA In 2022 FIA F3 Season". Prema Powerteam. 14 January 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022.
  11. ^ a b Wood, Ida (4 January 2022). "Amna and Khaled Al Qubaisi join Hamda at Prema in FRAC". Formula Scout. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  12. ^ Wood, Ida (17 December 2021). "Al Qubaisi and Marinangeli join renamed FRegional Asian Championship". Formula Scout. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d "Hitech confirm 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship driver line-up". Hitech Grand Prix. 6 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  14. ^ Wood, Ida (14 January 2022). "Isack Hadjar confirmed as Red Bull junior and Hitech F3 driver". Formula Scout. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Vladislav Lomko on Instagram". Instagram. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  16. ^ a b Wood, Ida (3 January 2022). "BlackArts Racing names first two drivers for 2022 FRAC". Formula Scout. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Championship Announces 28-Strong Entry for Yas Marina 2022 Season-Opener". f3asia.com. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  18. ^ Wood, Ida (27 January 2022). "FRAC runner-up Pierre-Louis Chovet handed series return by BlackArts". Formula Scout. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  19. ^ a b c d Mishra, Aatish (8 January 2022). "Mumbai Falcons announce 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship driver line up". Evo India. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  20. ^ GP, Evans (21 November 2021). "Evans GP signs Levente Révész for Asian F3". Evans GP | Official Web Site | Asian F3 Team. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  21. ^ Evans, Joshua (26 November 2021). "David Morales joins the Asian F3 Championship with Evans GP". Evans GP | Official Web Site | Asian F3 Team. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  22. ^ Wood, Ida (14 October 2021). "R-ace GP partners with 3Y Technology for Asian F3 and F4 UAE". Formula Scout. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  23. ^ a b Wood, Ida (7 January 2022). "R-ace GP signs Bortoleto for FREC, Buhler for FRAC". Formula Scout. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  24. ^ Wood, Ida (5 January 2022). "Lorenzo Fluxa moves to R-ace GP for sophomore FRAC campaign". Formula Scout. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Teams & Drivers confirm for season 2022 (Updated on 06/01/2022)". Formula Regional Asian Championship. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  26. ^ Wood, Ida (28 December 2021). "Gabriel Bortoleto joins R-ace GP in FRegional Asian Championship". Formula Scout. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  27. ^ "Braschi con 3Y R-Ace GP per il finale di stagione". italiaracing.net (in Italian). 6 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  28. ^ a b c d Wood, Ida (11 January 2022). "Le Mans winner and F4 stars make Pinnacle Motorsport's FRAC line-up". Formula Scout. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  29. ^ Satis, Jérémy (8 February 2022). "Jérémy Satis on Twitter". Twitter (in French). Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  30. ^ "F3 Asian Championship Announces 2022 Season Calendar". F3 Asian Championship. 22 October 2021. Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  31. ^ "Gabriele Minì Leads Formula Regional Asian Championship After Thrilling Yas Marina Season-opener". Formula Regional Asian Championship. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  32. ^ "Victory and Championship Lead for Arthur Leclerc in Dubai". Formula Regional Asian Championship. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  33. ^ "Arthur Leclerc Tightens Grip on Championship as Mumbai Falcons Celebrate Triple Victories". Formula Regional Asian Championship. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  34. ^ "Third Victory for Arthur Leclerc and Wins for Isack Hadjar and Patrik Pasma in Dubai". Formula Regional Asian Championship. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  35. ^ "King Arthur Reigns as Leclerc wins Formula Regional Asian Championship". Formula Regional Asian Championship. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.

External links edit

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