This coming weekend is definitely going to be a busy one for the Ferrari Driver Academy, as all the series in which its 2022 students are involved are on track. Dino Beganovic is racing in Monza in the opening round of Formula Regional, while the European Formula 4 series gets underway with the German ADAC championship at Spa-Francorchamps with Maya Weug, James Wharton and Rafael Camara all in action. Formula 3 races on the same card as the wonderful Made in Italy e dell’Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the feeder series making its very first appearance at Imola. “Although some of the series have already started, we’re about to tackle a particularly busy weekend, with our six drivers all racing in Europe for the first time in 2022,” commented head of the FDA, Marco Matassa.
Formula 3. The championship started last month in Bahrain and Arthur Leclerc and Oliver Bearman were front runners at the Sakhir circuit, both of them taking a second place finish each, leaving Bahrain lying second and third in the standings. “We come to Imola looking in good shape,” affirmed Matassa, “but this will be a different contest compared to the one in Bahrain which had hosted the pre-season tests. Arthur and Oliver both know Imola, having raced there last season, but it’s the first time Formula 3 has ever raced here and, technically, when you are at a track for the first time, there are always some questions. It will be vital to make the most of Friday’s free practice to be ready for the qualifying that follows, as that sets the trend for the rest of the weekend.”
Formula Regional. Monza is about to welcome the opening round of the European series. Having raced in the category last year, Dino Beganovic starts 2022 with ambitious goals and pre-season testing suggests they are within his grasp. “Dino did well in the tests,” said Matassa “and the final sessions in Monza produced positive results both in terms of qualifying simulations and over long runs. The level of the series is high, but Beganovic has matured and will benefit from racing in a series that he has learned about last year. I think everything is in place for him to have a strong season, but as always, that high potential still needs to be converted into results and points.”
Formula 4. The Italian series gets underway on 8 May, but the FDA drivers will now tackle the opening round of the German ADAC championship this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. It will be a special weekend for Maya Weug, James Wharton and Rafael Camara, who will get to race on one of the most challenging race tracks in the world. James and Rafael will be making their European single-seater debut in Belgium, having broken the ice in the UAE Formula 4 series, getting some excellent results earlier in the year. “The races in the Middle East produced encouraging signs,” commented Matassa. “But the level of the European series is very high. For Wharton and Camara, their results in Belgium will set the tone for what can be expected in this demanding season, while for Maya, the weekend will be useful to evaluate the results of all the hard preparation work over the past few months, based on her experience from 2021. We have tried to leave nothing to chance, encouraging our guys to give it their best shot. Now it’s the track that will do the talking. We are ready and enthusiastic about the coming season, which will be busy and exciting.”