Victor Martins wins F3 Feature Race in Bahrain

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Victor Martins wrapped up the opening round of the 2022 FIA Formula 3 Championship with a victory in the weekend’s Feature Race yesterday at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), held in support of the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

After an early safety car, Martins was able to move up to second at the restart, and did well to maintain his place throughout the early stages of the race. On lap 15, he made his move on then-leader Franco Colapinto to go first, and held on until the end.

The Frenchman took the chequered flag for ART Grand Prix by a narrow 1.543 seconds ahead of Prema Racing’s Monegasque driver Arthur Leclerc, younger brother of Ferrari F1 star Charles Leclerc.

Martins had a winning time of 46 minutes 47.389 seconds over 23 laps. Martins’s Swiss ART teammate Gregoire Saucy took the final podium place after finishing 6.812s behind Martins. Saucy’s teammate Juan Manuel Correa finished fourth, and Colapinto, who was challenging for a podium but was given a five-second penalty, took fifth.

Leclerc’s teammates Oliver Bearman and Jak Crawford finished sixth and seventh, re[1]spectively, while Campos Racing’s David Vidales was eighth, Jenzer Motorsport’s William Alatalo ninth, and Hitech Grand Prix’s Kaylen Frederick was 10th, rounding off the points winners.

All 30 of F3’s 2022 drivers took part in the Feature. The F3 season will be back in action in Italy between April 22 and 24. This year’s championship campaign features nine rounds in all.