Hitech GP and Uralkali came together around 2018 and have since been partners in various junior championships. The branding of the company runs on the rear wing of the car along with logos on the race suits of the drivers and on the nose of the car.

In fact, Hitech GP also helped Uralkali when they tried to bid to buy the Racing Point F1 team. However, they lost out to the consortium led by Lawrence Stroll, which led to a court case initiated by Dimtry Mazepin in the manner the bid was awarded to the Canadian.

Uralkali found his way in F1 with Haas when Nikita Mazepin joined the team last year. Hitech GP, meanwhile, continued to keep the sponsorship until the Bahrain F2 and F3 test where it removed the Russian company’s logos from its car amid discussions.

In the meantime, Oliver Oakes took full control of Hitech GP from other shareholders. With the F2 and F3 season not far off from its start, the British outfit has since released a statement of ending its agreement with Uralkali in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

With both Haas and Hitech GP gone, Uralkali don’t have any motor racing association especially in the F1 paddock as of now. The company has so far not stated anything about the end of the deals, but Mazepin is slated to host a press conference on Wednesday.

TEAM STATEMENT. pic.twitter.com/M3QTjeJZct

— Hitech GP (@HitechGP) March 8, 2022

Here’s Gene Haas on dropping Uralkali

Here’s Nikita Mazepin reacting to his axe

Here’s Roman Rusinov refusing to sign FIA declaration

Here’s FIA detailing more on how Russian and Belarus drivers can compete

Here’s Daniil Kvyat urging IOC and FIA

Here’s Guenther Steiner on Haas situation with Uralkali

L'entrada Hitech GP terminates its long-term agreement with Uralkali ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Arthur Leclerc hit all his targets, taking pole position, the win and the championship title in the first race at Yas Marina today. The Ferrari Driver Academy student did the groundwork, at this the fifth and final round of the Formula Regional Asia series, by securing pole position in a closely contested qualifying session yesterday. He then got a good start, with team-mate Dino Beganovic sitting in behind, as he built up a comfortable lead in the opening laps.

Perfectly managed. Arthur then controlled the race, also setting the fastest race lap. It meant that he had 203 points, a 65-point advantage over his only rival, Spain’s Pepe Marti, enough to make the title his. Arthur’s season was perfectly managed with four wins, a second and third from the 13 races run so far, scoring points in all the other races. I am very happy to have won the championship like this,” commented Leclerc.

“We were able to show our true potential and today’s result is down to all the work we have done together throughout this championship. There are two more races, so we will still be pushing to try and end this experience on a high and to be in good shape for the forthcoming Formula 3 season.”

Bravo Dino! As Leclerc triumphed, Dino Beganovic also had a good day. The 17-year-old Swede qualified third and at the start, he got the jump on second placed Jak Crawford, to tuck in behind Leclerc. He gradually pulled away from his pursuers, taking another well-deserved podium finish, to make up for the disappointment of the last round in Dubai. Oliver Bearman also finished in the points in his second weekend in this series. The 16-year-old Englishman qualified ninth and moved up seventh after the start and held that position to the chequered flag.

Here’s the standings where Mumbai Falcons won the teams’ title: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Formula_Regional_Asian_Championship

F4 UAE:

To end the 2022 F4 UAE season, Charlie Wurz – son of Alexander – took the drivers’ title at Yas Marina with 255 points to Rafael Camara’s 210. The Austrian driver scored two wins and 10 podiums in all for Prema en-route his win, having finished no less than ninth in any of the 20 races held across the five rounds.

Here’s the full standings where Prema won the teams’ title: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Formula_4_UAE_Championship

[Note: The above is as per press release with no edits made]

L'entrada Leclerc wins 2022 FR Asia title; Wurz takes F4 UAE championship ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Being one of the four F2 drivers to enter the championship, Zhou was a favourite to win the title and take away the maximum superlicense points on offer. The others included Red Bull junior Jehan Daruvala, Williams tester Roy Nissany and Alessio Deledda (rookie).

Driving for Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema, Zhou, started off in style in Dubai Autodrome with two wins but a DNF hampered his dream run, as Mumbai Falcons’ Daruvala stepped up his game in the subsequent double round in Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Daruvala had a mixed run in Dubai, but bounced back well in Abu Dhabi, while Pinnacle Motorsport’s Pierre-Louis Chovet started to show his hand with his consistency. By the end of the third round, the fight for the title tilted towards the Top 3 finishers.

This was also made possible as other possible contenders lime Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic and Isack Hadjar left the championship. The fourth round in Dubai pushed out Daruvala from the title scene after another disastrous outing for the team.

The Indian had two non-points finishes, while Chovet and Zhou strengthen their hold. The Frenchman had a 32 points advantage over the Chinese, heading into the final in Abu Dhabi. It turned around pretty much in the latter’s favour from the get go.

Zhou showed strong pace in qualifying, which the series showed was key in drivers winning. The Chinese racer finished first race in second behind Evans GP’s Patrick Pasma but a post-race penalty to the latter, handed a race win to the former.

With Chovet only fifth, Zhou ate into his lead but Race 2 changed the course after the Frenchman had his first DNF of the season. With the Chinese racer finishing second behind Pasma, it helped him take a one point lead over the Frenchman, heading into the final race.

It was eventually a valiant effort from Chovet in the finale, but Zhou had it under control to not only win the race, but also take away 18 superlicense points after winning the F3 Asia championship. In 15 races, e secured four wins and 11 podiums in all, to score 257 points.

At the same time, Chovet had 241 points with six wins and seven podiums to be second, while Daruvala ended up third with 192 points, having three wins and eight podiums in all. Among other F2 racers, Nissany was fifth with 99 points and Deledda 16th with nine.

Staying on with Asian news, it was also the end of the 2021 Asian Le Mans Series, with #26 G-Drive Racing Aurus crew of Ferdinand Habsburg, Rene Binder and Ye Yifei winning the lead LMP2 class with 81 points in four races, scoring two wins and three podiums.

They beat #28 JOTA Oreca of Sean Gelael with Stoffel Vandoorne (two rounds) and Tom Blomqvist (two rounds), where they had 76 points with two wins and three podiums, as well. The #25 G-Drive Racing Aurus ended up third in the standings.

Here’s full race videos of the 2021 season: https://www.youtube.com/c/F3AsianChampionshipCertifiedbyFIA/videos

L'entrada Zhou beats Chovet, Daruvala for ’21 F3 Asia title; #26 G-Drive wins ALMS ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

As expected, Renault junior Zhou has been announced to compete in 2021 F3 Asia championship with Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema for full season, alongside shared drives for David Vidales & Dino Begnovic and Khaled & Amna Al Quabiasi.

Zhou returns to Prema in a bid to secure superlicense points, having raced with the Italian outfit in F4 and also European F3. Interestingly, the Chinese racer is the sole to have a full season drive, while the remaining will be sharing one car each.

With Zhou in, he joins fellow F2 racer Jehan Daruvala, who was confirmed to drive for Mumbai Falcons – where the Indian outfit will also be helped by Prema’s mechanics. Here’s the 2021 grid plus calendar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_F3_Asian_Championship.

In other junior news, HPD joined Honda Motor Ltd to tie-up with Formula Regional Americas, where the winner of the 2021 season will get a drive in Japan’s Super Formula series, while they will also be connected with a team in IndyCar championship.

The scholarship programme is a step from Honda to identify talents, who can not only be helped to race in Super Formula but also in IndyCar. Even though Alex Palou had no official ties but his performances in Japan, led the manufacturer to move him to America.

“What an amazing scholarship,” said Chip Ganassi Racing driver, Palou. “I’m sure it’s going to be the strongest and most successful scholarship, and it’s much needed for so many drivers nowadays. The racing level in the Super Formula series is really high and demanding for a driver. You can then use all that experience in INDYCAR.

“I’ve been lucky enough to get to experience the highest level of racing in Japan and now in the US, and I can’t thank enough Honda, Dale Coyne and Team Goh for the amazing opportunity of becoming an INDYCAR driver, now with Chip Ganassi at the highest level. I’m now facing the best moment of my career driving for the most successful team in the championship. I can’t wait to share track with the next Honda Scholarship Champion!”

HPD Commercial Motorsports Manager John Whiteman, added: “I am very pleased with this new program as it is a collaboration between HPD and Honda Motor for a true global driver development program. “This past year, Alex Palou demonstrated that Super Formula can fully prepare a driver for INDYCAR racing success.

“Progressing from Formula Regional Americas to Super Formula can be a clear, fully Honda-powered path to INDYCAR. The Formula Regionals America champion earns 18 FIA Super License points, and the Super Formula champion earns 25. Winning both titles will prepare a driver to compete in INDYCAR and earn enough Super License points to exceed the 40 required for Formula One.”

Here’s a Q&A from HPD to explain the deal:

Who is eligible for the champion scholarship prize?

Any driver who signs up for the championship and earns the most points during the 2021 FR Americas Champions series Powered by Honda so long as the FIA minimum number of races and competitors are achieved.

What is the value of the scholarship?

The scholarship is valued at up to $600,000.  Because the champion prize is supported by HPD (in USD) and Honda Motor (in JPY) the value may vary based on exchange rates but will not exceed $600,000. 

Does the prize cover all costs associated with racing the Super Formula Series?

The prize covers a substantial portion of the cost to run a full Super Formula season.  Budgets vary among Super Formula teams and the champion award winner will be responsible to cover any gap between the prize and the total cost to run a season.

Does the prize include an engine supply for Super Formula?

Yes, the champion prize winner will race with a Honda powered team and the engine supply will be provided by Honda Motor in Japan.

Does the prize include travel, room, and board in Japan?

The champion will receive guidance from Honda Motor and will be given the opportunity to participate in Honda sponsored events such as tours of the Honda Museum at Motegi, Aoyama HQ and Honda Thanks Day!  The champion prize winner will be responsible for travel, living and immigration logistics.

Will the champion prize winner be responsible for selecting a Super Formula team?

Honda Motor will select a Honda powered team for the champion prize winner to compete for in 2022.

Will HPD or Honda connect the champion prize winner to INDYCAR teams?

Yes, HPD will connect the champion prize winner to the Honda powered INDYCAR teams through a first right of refusal contract with the champion prize winner.  If schedule allows, HPD will host the champion prize winner at an important INDYCAR race in 2022.  Based on readiness, logistics and preparedness, HPD will make efforts to facilitate an INDYCAR test in 2022 for the champion prize winner.

Where can I find out more about Super Formula?

The Super Formula website provides current series information. Super Formula origins stretch back to 1973.  Drivers who have competed in Super Formula include Takuma Sato, Pierre Gasly, Pietro Fittipaldi, Patricio O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, Stoffel Vandoorne, Tatiana Calderon and Alex Palou. 

How competitive are Honda powered cars in Super Formula?

The series is very competitive however Honda has powered two of the past three champions in Super Formula (2018, 2020).  

Do I need to learn how to speak Japanese?

Knowledge of the Japanese language is not required. It is recommended to do some self-guided research on Japanese culture and effective communication strategies to make a smooth transition.

Moving on to F1 ESports news, Ferrari announced a surprise move of Brendon Leigh joining the Italian manufacturer alongside David Tonizza, as the Englishman moves on from Mercedes after spending couple of seasons post his title success.

Ferrari wishes to use his experience in the F1 ESports arena to boost its chances. “My excitement in joining the FDA Esports F1 team is off the scale,” said Leigh. “I’ve only just signed, but it’s already clear to me that their passion and commitment to winning mirrors my own. I get a sense of the unity within the team which makes it one big race-winning family. I can’t wait to get to work with the team and sport the red Ferrari colours.”

Here’s news on F1 to be staging Virtual GP in January

Here’s news on Jehan Daruvala doing F3 Asia

L'entrada Zhou to race in F3 Asia; Honda joins FR Americas with SF, IndyCar prize ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

After spending much of 2020 in multiple championships – including F2 – due to COVID-19 restrictions, Vips has earned a full-time in the series alongside fellow Red Bull junior Lawson at Hitech GP. The British team goes for an all-new line-up in 2021.

Both Vips and Lawson tested for Hitech GP after the 2020 F2 season, as they replace F1-mover Nikita Mazepin and veteran Luca Ghiotto. For the Kiwi, this will be his second championship, after he was announced to take part in DTM alongside Alexander Albopn.

Lawson is graduating to F2 after spending two years in F3, while Vips will look to use his last year’s selected rounds experience to push himself in the title picture. The third Red Bull junior to join them on the grid will be Daruvala, who sticks with Carlin for his second year.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Hitech again,” said Vips. “We had a good year in F3 back in 2019, but we have some unfinished business together. They had a great season in their first year in F2 and I’m confident we will be able to fight for the title this season.”

“I’m excited to be racing in F2 with Hitech this year,” said Lawson. “Following two years of Formula 3, I feel prepared to be in this championship and do a good job for the team. I learnt a lot in the F2 test in Bahrain with Hitech and got a good feeling with the car.

“This being said, there’s definitely still a lot more to learn so I am looking forward to the challenge ahead.” Meanwhile, unlike Vips and Lawson, Daruvala will be racing for Mumbai Falcons in 2021 F3 Asia in coming weeks, to prepare for his second F2 season.

“I’m extremely excited to be staying in F2 and with Carlin for 2021,” said Daruvala. “We made a lot of progress last year and overcame some issues to put together a really strong package. It was great to end the season on such a high with my first F2 win and then to back that up with front running pace in post-season testing.

“We have a lot of momentum behind us and although we know that other drivers and teams will have made steps forward over the winter, we will be aiming for the top step in every race. Consistency will be the key to a successful championship campaign, so we need to be on the pace from the start.

“I’m extremely proud to be carrying Red Bull colours again this season and I thank Dr Marko and my sponsors for their continued support and belief in me which I will be looking to repay from the very first race.”

Team boss Trevor Carlin added: “We’re extremely pleased that we have the opportunity to carry on the great progress we have been making with Jehan and have another attack on the FIA F2 Championship. Thank you to Red Bull and Jehan’s sponsors for entrusting us with this important year in his career.

“Jehan did a great job last season as an F2 rookie, he kept his head and kept pushing through to really show his true potential by the second half of the season. To finish the year off with a third place and then a win really confirms what we knew from the start. I expect Jehan to continue where he left off – challenging for wins from the outset in the new season.”

Outside the three F2 drivers, the F3 side will see two Red Bull juniors – Crawford and Iwasa – racing for Hitech GP in 2021, whereas Edgar will race for Carlin. The former graduates to F3 after finishing second to eventual champion Edgar in 2020 ADAC F4 season.

Honda-backed Iwasa comes in after winning the 2020 French F4 title, as the trio join the already confirmed Red Bull junior Dennis Hauger at Prema. “I am very happy to spend the 2021 FIA F3 season with Hitech GP,” said Crawford. “I am excited to make a step up from F4 to compete in the competitive field of drivers.

“With the success the team has had in previous years, I hope I can achieve the same results and fight at the front of the field.” Iwasa, meanwhile, will also race for Hitech GP in F3 Asia. “I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead,” he said. “Joining Hitech in both FIA F3 and Asian F3 will be exciting, and I will be able to learn a lot with the success the team have had over the years. I’ll do my best to continuously achieve a good result.”

“I’m thrilled to be joining Carlin and stepping up to the FIA F3 Championship this season,” said Edgar. “I know there will be a lot of hard work ahead but it’s such a prestigious series and on the F1 support calendar, it’s where every driver aims to be. I’m hugely grateful for the continued support of Dr Helmut Marko and the Red Bull Junior team, who make this possible.

“I experienced the FIA F3 car in the post-season tests at the end of last year and really enjoyed the increase in power and technicality of the car which is a real step up from what I’m used to. Since then, I’ve also enjoyed my time at the Carlin workshop and feel like we’ve already started to work well together. I can’t wait to get back in the car again when pre-season testing starts in February.”

L'entrada RB: Vips, Daruvala & Lawson to race in F2, Crawford, Iwasa & Edgar in F3 ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Daruvala reveled about a positive COVID-19 result through his social media on Monday morning, as the Indian informed that he is on the recovery mode after catching it. He is presently in his home in Mumbai, with mild symptoms of the virus.

Together with that, Daruvala alerted about an upcoming news, which is likely that he will be competing in the 2021 F3 Asia Championship. The series usually takes place on Asian tracks like Malaysia, Thailand, China, etc, but due to COVID-19, it won’t be held there.

Instead, the 2021 series will be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, starting from January 29-30 weekend until February 19-20, with five rounds in store. Daruvala is likely to race for Mumbai Falcons, an Indian entry which took over the slot from MSport Asia.

Mumbai Falcons competed in the Indian X1 Racing championship in 2019, and F3 Asia will be its first international adventure. The team is set to be operated by Prema, but won’t feature their name, unlike the ‘Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema’ operation.

The line-up is to feature another upcoming Indian racer, Kush Maini, who was part of Mumbai Falcons’ outfit in the X1 Racing series. The Bangalore-born driver ended up second in the 2020 British F3 Championship, while racing for Hitech GP.

With Toyota Racing Series not allowing international drivers and MRF Challenge not happening, the F3 Asia championship becomes the only winter series, where drivers can keep themselves in shape for the 2021 season, and even score superlicense points.

So far nine drivers have been confirmed to compete with more F2 racers slated to join, where the likes of Guanyu Zhou and Roy Nissany, are high on the list. For Daruvala, though, it will be re-unification with Prema after their success in F3.

He is expected to stick to F2 in 2021 with Carlin, where Dan Ticktum is speculated to join, considering the British racer tested with them in Bahrain. It is unclear at the moment if Daruvala will retain his Red Bull slot, with the decision yet to be taken on that front.

“Hey guys, Firstly, I’d like to wish you all a very Happy New Year! I’ve been away from social media as I’m currently recovering from Covid. I’m doing fine now and recovering well. Besides that, I’ve got some really exciting news coming your way. So STAY TUNED,” wrote Daruvala.

Here’s the details regarding 2021 F3 Asia season: http://www.f3asia.com/

Here’s tier categorisation of F2 and F3 drivers

L'entrada Red Bull’s Daruvala recovering from COVID-19, likely to race in F3 Asia ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Joey Alders storms ahead, but then fades

BlackArts Racing’s best driver in this competition has been Joey Alders, without any doubt. The Dutchman won three of the six races in the Middle East and looked dominant to start with. But then, in Race 8, things took a turn for the worse.

His pace dropped and he was nowhere near the top half. Jack Doohan, meanwhile, held second place and Jamie Chadwick was out in front essentially from start to finish, with a very comfortable lead of four seconds.

Even with the pace deficit, Alders managed to battle his way into third and would have probably finished in the same position if Doohan hadn’t had to retire due to a technical issue. With Alders in second, Chadwick was still far out in front with an iron-clad four second lead.

She did win on the road but a false start penalty took it away from her, which helped Alders to take it. Despite the lack of pace, it was some good fortune for Alders to win that race, something which didn’t work out in Race 9. Sebastien Fernandez had that race well in hand right from the very beginning with no challenge from behind as Doohan and Mazepin were long way off from him.

Those three, naturally, ended up on the podium in the end, as Alders was sixth in the end. Even though he is still the leading driver, but that gap is closing and the trend during the last two races is somewhat worrying.

Some of the most entertaining racing F3 has seen

One reason the races were so enjoyable was that there was no single driver dominating the competition every time. Alders won three races, but one of his wins was the result of luck and other drivers challenged him the whole way. The top five drivers come from four different teams, which helped to keep the competition fierce.

As fun as these races were, they’ve also been a great setup to the next round. Alders is just barely clinging to his lead and several other drivers have closed the gap. We could easily see a new front-runner emerge in the very first race of the next round, and their lead won’t be very large either. There’s no telling at this point who will win the championship, and the exciting Middle East races may just be the beginning of the fun.

Rain

You don’t typically think of rain in Dubai, but it does, and it happened right in the middle of the races. On the plus side, we got to see how well Giti Tire‘s rain tyres perform. They held up admirably in slippery and tricky conditions.

Jack Doohan continues to impress

Doohan is one of the youngest drivers in the world of professional racing, but it doesn’t seem as though any stage is too big for him. He finished the Middle East stint in second place and is now threatening to take the lead.

He would’ve had the victory in Race 8 if he hadn’t experienced technical difficulties, He then had no trouble claiming and keeping the second place spot in Race 9. He’s routinely going up against older, more experienced drivers and outperforming them.

He’s second in the standings right now but it isn’t hard to see him overtaking Alders in Races 10-12 and claiming the top spot. He could, realistically, win the whole thing. Even if he doesn’t, he’s one of the most exciting young drivers to watch.

Pinnacle Motorsports had a good showing

Doohan isn’t the only bright spot for Pinnacle Motorsports. In fact, their team has been competing very well, and they look like clear favorites in future F3 races. Fernandez won Race 9 with Doohan in second, and there was no point during the race in which it looked like their lead was in any danger.

There are three Pinnacle drivers in the Top 10 in the standings, and two of them are in the Top 5. What’s more, it looks like Pinnacle’s drivers are just now rounding into form while Alders is starting to slow down. The momentum in these races has shifted and it’s all with Pinnacle at the moment.

Khaled al Qubaisi continued his unstoppable Masters debut

Al Qubaisi won both of his F3 Master’s races to complete a triple victory in his incredible debut. In fact, his score was perfect, with three pole-to-flag victories. Like Doohan, he’s won to watch going forward.

A new era began for F3

The real significance of this Middle East debut won’t be clear for some time yet. What is sure is that F3 is beginning to develop new fans in some of the worlds wealthiest cities, and that can only be good for the sport.

It’s no secret that the UAE represents a lot of wealth, and developing a F3 fandom in a nation like that could provide a major boost to F3 Asia. F3 is not struggling, mind you. Major sponsors like Giti Tire and a rabid following in Asia have helped the competition to achieve a startling amount of success.

The sport is only going to continue growing in popularity in Asian countries, too. A massive fanbase is good, but it doesn’t guarantee success. Support from nations like the UAE and cities like Dubai can make a huge difference for the future of the sport, and it’s always good to have fans in as many countries as possible.

The story was written by Aigerim Berzinya of seirim.com

L'entrada Here’s everything you missed in F3 Asia’s Middle East debut ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

In his first weekend as a full-time F3 racer, Red Bull junior Doohan took three podium finishes which included his first win in the final race at Sepang from pole. He started off the weekend with two second place finishes on Saturday.

He ended up behind Hitech GP teammate Ukyo Sasahara in both the races with the Japanese driver doing well at the start to keep track position. But the Australian managed to get away well in the final race and win by 0.939s over him.

The Japanese leads the championship after Round 1 with 68 points as Doohan sits second with 61 to his name, but Sasahara has only signed up for the first round, while the Australian is in for the full season with the British outfit.

While Hitech GP secured 1-2 in all the three races, the third place was shared between three drivers as Absolute Racing’s Daniel Cao took it in Race 1 with BlackArts Racing Team’s Brendon Leitch in Race 2 and Super License’s Tomoki Takahashi in Race 3.

Leitch sits third in the overall standings with 39 points after two fourth place finishes to go with a podium – but the Kiwi also has a one round contract. Chines racer Cao is fourth with 33 points after finishing fourth in Race 2 and seventh in Race 3.

The 2018/19 MRF Challenge winner Jamie Chadwick also competed with Hitech GP in Round 1 as she gets some time in the F3 car ahead of her W Series campaign. It was a mixed run for her as she finished sixth, 12th and fifth respectively in the three races.

She is seventh in the standings with 18 points, just behind Takahashi with 27 as Absolute Racing’s Eshan Pieris slotted in fifth with 28 points, after finishing fifth in the first two races and sixth in the final race of the weekend.

Race 1 result:

Race 2 result:

Race 3 result:

L'entrada Red Bull junior Doohan scores maiden Asian F3 win at Sepang ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

A week after confirming a full year in Euroformula Open with Double R Racing, Doohan has announced a second programme for the 2019 season with the young Australian joining the Asian F3 grid with British-Chinese Dragon Hitech GP outfit.

The son of two-wheel racer, Mick, joins fellow Red Bull/Honda juniors Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda and Teppei Natori in a dual programme in 2019. “I’am very pleased to be working with such a high standard team for this year’s Asian F3 season,” said Doohan.

“After competing in the final round of the Winter Series, I now feel I’m fully comfortable with the car and the team to take it to the next level in the main series. I get along very well with the team which makes it even more enjoyable being at the circuit.

“I’ll be doing my best to the maximum as I know Hitech will be doing the same for me and hopefully we can come away with a top result. The awesome circuits the championship offers makes it so appealing and I cannot wait to get out for the first round next month.”

Hitech GP’s Asian F3 team manager, Phil Blow added: “We’re really pleased to announce Jack as out first signing for the main Asian F3 Championship. He did a fantastic job in Sepang jumping in for the last round, making steady progress.

“He scored two podiums whilst fighting fighting for victory on his debut in the series. He showed great maturity against some vastly experienced drivers despite having to miss the first two rounds until he turned 16-years of age.

“More than that, he fitted in really well with the team, so we are looking forward to mounting another championship challenge.” As said, Doohan made his Asian F3 debut in Sepang last month finishing second twice in three races.

The 2019 Asian F3 series starts with Round 1 at Sepang circuit on April 6-7, followed by weekends in Thailand (Buriram, May 11-12), Japan (Suzuka, June 22-23) and China (Shanghai, August 31 – September 1 and September 28-29).

L'entrada Red Bull junior Doohan adds Asian F3 to his 2019 programme ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Van Kalmthout came into the final Asian F3 weekend with 29 points advantage over Yifei but the Chinese racer’s double win got him closer to the Dutchman, as the title fight was stretched into the final race of the season where van Kalmthout managed to take it home.

The Race 1 on Saturday saw Yifei make a good start from pole as he led the way with HitechGP’s Jack Doohan behind him. The race was then neutralised after an incident for BlackArts Racing’s Vivien Keszthelyi and B-Max Racing Team’s Tairoku Yamaguchi.

The two retired immediately as Yifei continued to lead the way upon re-start from Doohan and van Kalmthout. The Chinese racer was comfortably ahead of Doohan but van Kalmthout came under pressure as the race progressed.

An incident between Pinnacle Motorsport’s Akash Nandy and Absolute Racing’s Eshan Pieris got the second period of safety car but Yifei kept a calm head again to lead the way on re-start as mayhem ensued behind the Chinese racer.

Van Kalmthout tried a move on Doohan in the opening sequence where he lost momentum which allowed HitechGP’s Alessandro Ghiretti and Pinnacle Motorsport’s Victor Martins to close in with van Kalmthout and Ghiretti making contact then.

Martins gained places to third with van Kalmthout dropping back to sixth and Ghiretti to 12th as Yifei took the win from first-time podium finishers, Red Bull junior Doohan and Renault junior Martins in second and third respectively.

Behind the Top 3, Super License’s Tomoki Takahashi was fourth with Pinnacle Motorsport’s Christian Lundgaard in fifth ahead of van Kalmthout, who managed to keep off teammate Pavan Ravinshankar at bay.

BlackArts Racing’s Joey Alders and Charles Leong were eighth and ninth respectively with B-Max Racing’s Miki Koyama and Motoyoshi Yoshida in 10th and 11th, while Ghiretti rounded out the 12 finishers.

The Race 2 had Yifei once again taking control from pole with Doohan slotting in second from van Kalmthout and Pieris and Nandy. Unlike the first race, the second one on Saturday was more of plain sailing at Sepang circuit.

The order at the front stayed pretty much the same with Yifei winning his second race of the weekend with Doohan scoring another podium in second with van Kalmthout in third. The Dutchman’s podium finish helped him keep the points lead over Yifei.

In fourth was Martins after the Frenchman managed to clear Pieris but the Sri Lankan managed to hold off Ghiretti, who got ahead of Nandy early on with the Malaysian finishing seventh from Lundgaard and Alders.

The Top 10 was then rounded out by Takashi. Position 11-16: Ravishankar, Leong, Tairoku Yamaguchi, Koyama, Yoshida and Keszthelyi. It was a gritty start to Race 3 on Sunday as Doohan took charge from Pieris with pole-sitter Yifei dropping to third.

At the same time, points leader van Kalmthout found himself seventh at the end of Lap 1. With Doohan leading, Yifei managed to get Pieris out of the way as van Kalmthout took Lundgaard to be sixth midway in the race.

The fight for victory raged on between Doohan and Yifei as the two had multiple wheel-to-wheel battles – which ended up being a bit too many as a small tag from Yifei sent both into retirement with Pieris sneaking through to score his first win in a dramatic end.

Martins ended up second with van Kalmthout clearing Ghiretti to finish third and take the 2019 Asian F3 Winter Series title with 184 points to his name as Yifei ended up second with 155 to Ghiretti’s 106 to cover the Top 3 in the drivers’ standings.

The Frenchman was fourth in the final race with Ravishankar in fifth, followed by Takahashi, Nandy, Leong, Alders, Keszthelyi in the Top 10. Despite the off, Doohan and Yifei were classified 13th and 14th behind Koyama and Yoshida. DNF: Lundgaard & Yamaguchi.

Check out what went on during Round 2

L'entrada Asian F3: Van Kalmthout beats Ye to win 2019 winter series title at Sepang ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Rinus Van Kalmthout started from where he left off in the last round with pole for Race 1 in Round 2 at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit to start the weekend as the Dutchman led the way in the race from Absolute Racing’s Ye Yifei.

As Rinus van Kalmthout led Yifei, HitechGP’s Alessandro Ghiretti slotted in third from Super License’ Tomoki Takahashi with the Japanese climbing up from 11th to fourth in the opening lap after a no-start from HitechGP’s Dan Ticktum.

The Red Bull junior’s bad run continued with car problems limiting his racing while Pinnacle Motorsport’s Amaury Cordeel also stopped at the track during formation lap. It was well settled in the Top 3 as Rinus van Kalmthout won from lights-to-flag.

Ye Yifei settled for second with Alessandro Ghiretti in third but Tomoki Takahashi defending hard from Pinnacle Motorsport’s Akash Nandy in the closing stages. They were joined in by Absolute Racing’s Eshan Pieris and Pinnacle Motorsport’s David Schumacher.

But Tomoki Takashi managed to keep fourth from Akash Nandy, Eshan Pieris and David Schumacher with HitechGP’s Pavan Ravishankar in a distant eighth, followed by BlackArts Racing’s Vivien Keszthelyi and B-Max Racing’s Tairoku Yamaguchi, Dragon and Motoyoshi Yoshida.

Asian F3 debutant and HitechGP’s Max Fewtrell didn’t have the best of starts as the Renault junior was forced to retire while fighting in the midfield. The Race 2 on Sunday saw Rinus van Kalmthout start well from pole ahead of Ye Yifei and Alessandro Ghiretti.

Japanese racer Tomoki Takashi kept fourth from Pavan Ravishankar as Dan Ticktum made his way up from 13th to sixth with Fewtrell moving to eighth from 14th. At the same time, Cordeel retired after a tangle with Yamaguchi in the final corner.

While the Top 4 stayed put, Dan Ticktum cleared Pavan Ravishankar for fifth with Fewtrell also making it stick, followed by David Schumacher. The last portion of the race settled with Rinusvan Kalmthout making it two in two from Ye Yifei and Alessandro Ghiretti.

Tomoki Takashi in fourth made it the same Top 4 from Race 1 with Dan Ticktum and Fewtrell fighting back to fifth and sixth respectively after the disaster on Saturday. David Schumacher finished seventh with Ravishankar keeping Nandy at bay.

Sri Lankan Pieris lost the most to round out the Top 10 with Keszthelyi in 11th from Dragon and Motoyoshi Yoshida. For the first time, the lead changed at the start of Race 3 as pole-sitter Rinus van Kalmthout lost out to Yifei between Turn 1 and Turn 2.

The Chinese driver led the Dutchman with Alessandro Ghiretti in third as Fewtrell moved to fourth from eighth when David Schumacher spun at Turn 1 to retire which called out the safety car. Yifei maintained his lead on re-start from Rinus van Kalmthout.

Dan Ticktum was only eighth before the safety car period but on re-start, the British racer cleared Pieris and Tomoki Takahashi to move to sixth. He also made the move stick on Nandy to fifth in his chase of Fewtrell.

It was a straight finish in the end with Ye Yifei winning from Rinuvan Kalmthout and Alessandro Ghiretti with Fewtrell taking fourth. Dan Ticktum had fifth place finish in his bag but a 10-second time penalty for overtaking under the safety car dropped him to ninth.

This helped Nandy to be fifth from Pieris, Tomoki Takahashi and Pavan Ravishankar ahead of Dan Ticktum as Keszthelyi rounded the Top 10 from Cordeel, Dragon, Yamaguchi and Motoyoshi Yoshida. The Asian F3 drivers’ standings is headed by Rinus van Kalmthout (133) after Round 2 from Ye Yifei (104).

[Read: Round 1 recap]

L'entrada Asian F3: Van Kalmthout extends lead with two wins in Round 2 at Sepang ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The Race 1 on Saturday had Red Bull junior and HitechGP’s Dan Ticktum on pole but the British driver lost out in the opening lap as front-row starter Yifei took the lead from HitechGP’s Alessandero Ghiretti.

Ticktum slotted in third from van Kalmthout but not for long as the British driver then lost places to van Kalmthout and Pinnacle Motorsport’s Akash Nandy to drop to fifth while battling with second placed Ghiretti.

It soon became a four-car squabble with van Kalmthout taking the lead from Ghiretti with Ticktum in third as Yifei dropped to fourth. Both Ticktum and Yifei were forcedto retire as van Kalmthout took the win from Ghiretti and Pavan Ravishankar in a HitechGP’s 1-2-3.

The latter making his way up from last on the grid after stalling on the formation lap. Nandy was fourth with Absolute Racing’s Eshan Pieris in fifth ahead of the two Pinnacle Motorsport cars of Amaury Cordeel and David Schumacher – son of Ralf.

BlackArts Racing’s Vivien Keszthelyi and B-Max Racing Team’s Tairoku Yamaguchi rounded out the nine finishers with four retirements and as many as six drivers handed time penalties for various offences.

The Race 2 on Sunday had pole-sitter van Kalmthout and front-row starter Ticktum go head-to-head for the lead with the Dutchman keeping his nose ahead despite some charges from the British driver with Yifei in third from Ravishankar.

Van Kalmthout had the lead secured as Ticktum fell into the clutches of Yifei and eventually lost the place to the Chinese driver as Schumacher got ahead of Ravishankar for fourth with Ghiretti dropping to sixth.

It ended up being two in two for van Kalmthout with Yifei in second and Ticktum third. However, a time penalty meant, Ticktum dropped to sixth which promoted Schumacher to third, Ravishankar fourth and Ghiretti in fifth.

Super License’s Tomoki Takashi got seventh after penalty to Cordeel meant, he dropped to ninth behind Nandy with Yamaguchi and Keszthelyi in 10th and 11th respectively. The Race 3 had Yifei take the lead with pole-sitter Ticktum dropping to second already.

Ghiretti’s retirement brought out the safety car but Yifei maintained his lead from Ticktum with van Kalmthout in third as Takashi made his way to fourth from Schumacher and Ravishankar in a pretty clean race.

In fact, Yifei stood his ground to take the win from Ticktum and van Kalmthout with Schumacher ending up fourth but a penalty dropped him to fifth, promoting Cordeel to fourth with Takashi ending up sixth.

The Japanese was also promoted up after Nandy had a penalty which dropped him to seventh just ahead of Ravishankar as Keszthelyi and Yamaguchi completed the Top 10 and the 10 finishers in the race.

With the three races in the bag, van Kalmthout heads the points standings with 65 to his name from Yifei (43) and Ravishankar (31) while Schumacher (31) sits in fourth – having same points as Ravishankar – and Ticktum (26) is only sixth.

L'entrada Asian F3: Van Kalmthout leads after two wins in Round 1 at Buriram ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Along with the two existing winter series, the MRF Challenge and the Toyota Racing Series, the Asian F3 winter championship is now added in the frame with the biggest award of  FIA’s F1 superlicense points on offer to the drivers.

The superlicense points on offer has pulled in Red Bull junior Ticktum (Britain) to compete in the series and take away the maximum, so as to have enough to not only be able to test a F1 car but also find a race seat in the future.

The British racer has chosen Asian F3 over TRS as he will race for HitechGP in the inaugural season which starts later this weekend at Buriram (January 13) with two more rounds slated to take place at Sepang circuit (January 20 and January 24).

“I’m really looking forward to taking part,” said Ticktum. “The main reason is to get my hands on some superlicence points, but I will benefit from extra track time over the winter at two prestigious circuits, so overall I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Ticktum will be joined in by reigning Pro Mazda champion Rinus van Kalmthout (Netherlands), 2018 F4 South East Asia winner Alessandro Ghiretti (France) and Pavan Ravishankar (Singapore) in a four-car effort from the British junior outfit.

Elsewhere, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher’s son David (Germany), will also race in the series with Pinnacle Motorsport alongside 2018 Spanish F4 champion Amaury Cordeel (Belgium) and seasoned single-seater racer Akash Nandy (Malaysia).

Two other teams entering in the series will be Absolute Racing and BlackArts Racing Team with the former fielding Ye Yifei (China) and Eshan Pieris (Sri Lanka) and the latter having the sole women racer in the field, Vivien Keszthelyi (Hungary).

UPDATE: More names were added to the entry list of the Asian F3 Winter Series with B-Max Racing Team fielding its team principal Dragon and Tairaku Yamaguchi while Super License having Tomoki Takahashi.

In addition, HitechGP will also have another Red Bull junior Jack Doohan, son of MotoGP legend Mick, in their ranks but the Australian will only be testing in Thailand with the idea of joining the series for the final three races. His 2019 programme is yet to be revealed.

L'entrada Ticktum, Schumacher to compete in 2019 Asian F3 winter series ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

The decision was taken and approved at the last World Motor Sport Council meet in Russia with the altered list available at the FIA site. The points for top series like Formula 2, IndyCar, new Formula 3, WEC (LMP1), etc remains the the same.

The first addition is the Formula Regional European Certified by FIA in the new list with the winner getting 25 points on his license, followed by 20 for second and then 15, 10, 7, 5, 3, 2 and 1 for drivers finishing in the Top 9.

The DTM-backed Formula European Masters series also features on the list despite not having the FIA backing. The points awarded is same as the regional F3 series. The growing Japan’s Super Formula series has seen a growth.

The winner will now get 25 points from the previous 20 with the rest same as the F3 series in the Top 9. Like Super Formula, the DTM series will also get more points along with the Japan’s Super GT championship.

Both of the series winner will be awarded 20 points followed by 16 to second and then 12, 10, 7, 5, 3, 2 and 1 in the Top 9. The F3 Regional Asian series winner will still get 18 with the same now awarded to the FIA Regional Americas series winner.

The latter moves from 16 to 18 for the winner while the IMSA Prototype series winner will also get 18 – up by one from the previous list. However, only the top tow drivers of the three series will be awarded 18 and 14 points respectively.

The Asian and Americas series’ will get 12, 10, 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1 in the descending order between third and ninth while the IMSA Prototype series will see drivers between third and eighth get 10, 7, 5, 3, 2 and 1 respectively.

Australia’s Supercars series has been bumped forward as well with the winner now getting 15 points like the winner of America’s NASCAR Cup and Indy Lights series along with FIA’s WTCR. The order will be 12, 10, 7, 5, 3, 2 and 1 for drivers between second and eighth.

The rest of the championships will remain the same with Spain’s Euroformula Open series now tagged along with the National F3 Championships – the winner awarded with 10 points, followed by 7, 5, 3 and 1 for the Top 5 drivers.

L'entrada FIA changes F1 super license points for multiple championships ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.