The Formula 3 and Formula 2 cars are back in action this weekend at Monza, so Dino Beganovic and Ollie Bearman can look forward to enjoying what is a truly special motorsport venue.
Monza – the name alone is evocative. 5.793 kilometres and eleven corners whose names, such as Ascari, Lesmo, Roggia, Parabolica, evoke racing memories going back over a century. For the Formula 2 and Formula 3 cars it’s a return to racing after the summer break, with Olivier Bearman tackling the 11th of 14 rounds, while for Dino Beganovic, this is the tenth and final round of the Formula 3 season, traditionally run on the same card as the last European event on the Formula 1 calendar. Beganovic is currently sixth on 100 points, with seven drivers theoretically in with a chance of the title, currently led by Leonardo Fornaroli on 129, but the 20 year old Swede is more interested in ending the year on a high note. “I’d like to end the season with a win,” he admitted. “Because honestly, it’s difficult to imagine anything more than that. I’m not going to put myself under pressure as the aim is to have a great weekend.”
Formula 2. Bearman also has clear goals going into the final part of the season, with this weekend in Monza followed by Baku, Losail and Yas Marina circuit, namely to win as many races as possible, without really thinking in terms of the championship, as he is currently in 15th place. Several factors worked against him this year, but his win in Spielberg showed that the 19 year old Englishman is always ready to grab any opportunity.
Programme. Formula 2 gets underway on Friday with 45 minutes of free practice at 11.00, followed by qualifying at 16.00. Then on Saturday, it’s time for the Sprint Race at 14.14 with the Feature Race on Sunday at 10.05. Action in the final Formula 3 round of the year begins with free practice at 09.35 on Friday, followed by qualifying at 15.00. For the first time at the Monza track, to avoid the usual traffic problems, the field will be split into two groups, based on the current championship order, as was the case in Monaco. Group A will start at 15.00 and group B at 15.20 and the order of these sessions will decide each side of the grid. The Sprint Race is on Saturday at 09.50, while the Feature Race gets underway on Sunday at 08.30. (All times CEST).