R01 Bahrain - FIA Formula 3 Race 2 Report
PREMA Racing finished with two cars in the points zone at Bahrain International Circuit, as the opening round of the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship signed off at the desert track. It was an up-and-down day for the team. Starting from pole position, Dino Beganovic faced a technical issue at the start that dropped him at the back of the pack. Still, the Swede put up a monster recovery, finishing in P13 with a very promising pace.
Gabriele Minì finished in P6 to take home valuable points. The Italian had a tough start as he had to avoid Beganovic, and as the race turned processional with big DRS trains, he focused on maximizing points.
After winning his very first FIA F3 race, Arvid Lindblad lost some spots at the start but regained the points zone and exited the weekend with P5 in driver points. The next round for the series will be at the end of the month in Melbourne.
#1 DINO BEGANOVIC
"I had a bit of an issue in the formation lap trying to put the car into second gear. I finally managed before getting to turn 1, and we did some tests trying to put it in first and second and it was working well. Then when we got to the grid, the start was OK, nothing special, but struggled to get it to second gear again, I was not able to until T2. The pace after that was truly amazing. I think we impressed everybody but also ourselves. Car was feeling very good, and I felt extremely comfortable and confident. We made a great comeback to P13 considering we were really far behind the pack in the beginning. Still, we win and lose as a team, we won on Thursday but lost on Friday and Saturday. We keep our head down, it's a long season, and I'm sure we'll come back even stronger for Melbourne."
#2 GABRIELE MINÌ
"We started the Feature Race from P3. Not an ideal start with a lot of wheelspin, which cost me three places compared to where I was starting. Then we just didn't have the pace to overtake, we had it to stay in the pack, but with the dirty air and DRS train it was impossible to follow and overtake. We're a bit frustrated but we still got some points. Not ideal, but better than nothing."
#3 ARVID LINDBLAD
"Decent race today, P8 in the feature. I got a little bit of a difficult start, lost positions in T1, and then I had to push quite a lot in the first couple of laps to gain some ground. I was able to get into P8 after a few laps, but then I was just stuck in a DRS train and it was hard to go forward as I didn't quite have the speed to make moves. In general, I still think it was a very positive race and a positive weekend. A lot learned, I can't wait for Melbourne."