R01 Bahrain - FIA Formula 3 Race 1 Report
PREMA Racing wasted no time at Bahrain International Circuit as the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship kicked off with the running of the first Sprint Race of the year. Red Bull Junior Arvid Lindblad took off from the second row of the grid and delivered a spectacular comeback that handed him victory at his first career start. In the final stages, after gaining the lead with a double attack, Lindblad sailed into the distance and built a 5.4-second margin. He also became the youngest race winner in FIA F3 history at 16 years, 6 months, and 23 days of age.
Starting from the fifth row, Gabriele Minì maximized his chances after securing P3 in qualifying. The Italian, Alpine Academy racer posted a seventh-place finish, capturing his first points of the year with intense battling and a clever approach.
Yesterday’s pole setter Dino Beganovic had the toughest luck of all, as he was sidelined by contact on the opening lap. The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy racer will have a brilliant chance to fight back in tomorrow's Feature Race.
#1 DINO BEGANOVIC
"Tough Sprint Race here in Bahrain with a collision at the start. I was my mistake, going on the inside and wasn't left room but there was never room there. We collided and I got a puncture so we had to pit for a new tyre. After that the race was very strong, pace was good and the car felt very strong. It's something positive to take away from today on to tomorrow."
#2 GABRIELE MINÌ
"Just finished the sprint race starting from P10 because of the reverse grid. The goal was to try and gain a few points and not get any penalties. I think we did it quite well. We struggled just a bit in the frist laps with the pace. Once the tyre degradation kicked in we started to be really quick, gaining positions and time overall. Frustrating not to have got sixth place for four thousands, but one point doesn't change the world. I'm pretty happy with it, we'll see how it goes tomorrow."
#3 ARVID LINDBLAD
"Very good race today, victory in the Sprint Race at debut. It's really good and I'm very happy with the result. Few too many mistakes by my side, but I'm happy and grateful to the team for giving me a phenomenal car. The initial start was quite good but I messed up a bit T1 so I lost one spot, which I got back on lap 2. I was trying to manage the tyres and be patient. When I felt the pace was good I just went forward step by step. Once back in the lead, the pace was really strong. We had some tyres left so I was able to break the DRS and get a big gap. I look forward to tomorrow, I can't wait!"