Melbourne debut

Formula 2 and Formula 3 are racing in Australia for the very first time. Representing the Ferrari Driver Academy are Oliver Bearman, Arthur Leclerc and Dino Beganovic.

 Melbourne is hosting Formula 2 and Formula 3 races, with the two championships making their “down under” debut this weekend, as the Australian Grand Prix organisers were successful in their bid to get the two junior categories racing on the same card as Formula 1.

Formula 2. The Ferrari Driver Academy contenders in Formula 2, Oliver Bearman and Arthur Leclerc arrive in Melbourne having shown potential in Jeddah a fortnight ago, even if some bad luck meant the results were not what they might have been. “The Saudi round did not deliver the points our drivers deserved,” explained Marco Matassa, the head of the FDA. “But Bearman and Leclerc showed clear signs of progress, with Oliver going well in qualifying and in terms of race pace, while Arthur had a very strong pace in both races. We have done a lot of preparation work for Melbourne, which is very important given it’s a new track for everyone.”

Formula 3. Formula 3 is back in action one month on from the opening round in Bahrain. Dino Beganovic was immediately a front runner at the Sakhir circuit, coming away with a fourth place in the Sprint Race and a third in the Feature Race, which puts him third in the standings. “There were plenty of positives to take from Dino’s debut,” confirmed Matassa. “He started the weekend carefully, before giving it his all in qualifying and the two races. I think in Melbourne, he will be able to push harder right from free practice and that will put him in a good position for qualifying. As with Oliver and Arthur, Dino has made the most of his work in the simulator, learning this track that is new to him.”

Programme

Friday 31 March

9.00 local (0.00 CET) Formula 3 Free Practice

10.00 local (1.00 CET) Formula 2 Free Practice

14.00 local (5.00 CET) Formula 3 Qualifying

17.30 local (8.30 CET) Formula 2 Qualifying

Saturday 1 April

11.00 local (2.00 CET) Formula 3 Sprint Race

14.20 local (5.20 CET) Formula 2 Sprint Race

Sunday 2 April

9.05 local (1.05 CET) Formula 3 Feature Race

11.35 local (3.35 CET) Formula 2 Feature Race