The Formula 3 (F3) Asia Championship finished up its Middle East debut last weekend and here’s everything you may have missed, if you were not watching.
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