Bearman penalized, Hadjar first winner of the season

Funny scenario for Oliver Bearman and Prema in this first race of the year. At the end of a perfectly successful Sprint Race, the Briton was exultant in his cockpit after crossing the finish line alone. But lo and behold, the race direction caught him during his deceleration lap by inflicting a 5 second penalty on him.

Warned by a black and white flag on the penultimate lap that he could no longer go beyond the limits of the track, Oliver Bearman probably did not respect the instructions during the last pass and was withdrawn his victory which was to be his first for his debut in F3. An incident which put the affairs of Isack Hadjar (Hitech GP) behind him.

ISACK HADJAR WINS ON HIS DEBUT‼️

He takes P1 following Ollie Bearman's five second penalty for track limits ⚠️#BahrainGP #F3 pic.twitter.com/vXbzPMYOIT

- Formula 3 (@ Formula3) March 19, 2022

Part 4^e and fell 5^e at the start of the race, the Ile-de-France resident had made a good comeback to 2^e place by successively getting rid of Alexander Smolyar (MP Motorsport), Zak O’Sullivan (Carlin) and Zane Maloney (Trident). Arriving under the checkerboard a little more than 3 seconds behind Oliver Bearman, the Habs enjoyed their podium for their first in F3. But now, the 5 second penalty inflicted on his counterpart allowed him to swap his 2^e position by a 1^e and thus a victory! “ Good job guys, he shouted on the radio. The pace has been good! »

Martins on the mat

Confirmed at the last minute for this F3 season, Alexander Smolyar grabbed the last step of the podium after overcoming Zane Maloney (Trident) and Zak O’Sullivan (Carlin) in the final laps. A race during which Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix) unfortunately did not see the finish, due to a puncture. Fighting for six laps with several competitors, the Habs had a slight collision with his teammate Gregoire Saucy (ART Grand Prix) at turn 1, the Helvetian's front wing having punctured the Frenchman's tire. It’s a hard blow for the French team since its two leading drivers have retired. The third thief of the gang, Juan Manuel Correa, finished 9th. 

Also note the great comeback from Arthur Leclerc (Prema). Starting 13th due to a lackluster qualification, the Monegasque showed all the ingredients that allowed him to be crowned F3 Asia champion this winter. Patiently, he waited for the right moments to go and bite his opponents one by one, mainly at the end of the race when the latter were starting to have trouble with their tires. He finished solid 5th, only a few thousandths behind Maloney, who beat him to the line. As a reminder, the main race will take place this Sunday at 10 a.m. Victor Martins will start 4th and Isack Hadjar 8th.