PREMA Racing's Ollie Bearman takes debut podium in Bahrain
Ollie Bearman captured his maiden FIA Formula 3 Championship podium finish today at Bahrain International Circuit. It is an incredible accomplishment for the British racer, who fought his way to the lead from P2 on the reverse grid and then dominated his first race in the championship, coming from Formula 4. After crossing the finish line in P1, Bearman was penalized for track limits, but still, putting up a memorable performance.
To make it an even more positive day, Monegasque Arthur Leclerc delivered a stellar comeback from P14 on the grid to fifth place at the end, moving through the pack and showing outstanding potential.
On the other hand, the race has not been kind to Jak Crawford, who saw his front wing broken in the opening stages and had to pit for a new one. The American eventually had to settle for P27 after engine issues forced him out of the top-20 in qualifying.
# 4 - Arthur Leclerc
"It was a great race. It was a bit messy at the start because it's always difficult to start in the pack, but after that, I think we did a really good job to come back. The pace and overtaking were good, and we had a close finish for P4. Overall it was really good, let's keep pushing for tomorrow."
# 5 - Jak Crawford
"I had a good start, but then the first lap didn't really go my way, and I lost positions. The speed was quite good, and I could have probably ended in the top-10, but I broke my wing around halfway. At that point, it was basically over for me, and I just drove by myself after that. Tomorrow we will have a longer race and more points available, so I look forward to it."
# 6 - Oliver Bearman
"It was a good race, obviously not the best in terms of results but I was really happy with how it went. I had a decent start got to P1, and after that, we just managed the tyres. The penalty was a bit unfortunate, but we're still happy with what we learned. Race 2 will be more difficult, but I'm looking forward to it!"