The first to take to the track when the green light went out, this weekend at the circuit of Sakhir, are the pilots of Formula 3. In the half hour available to them, the 30 single-seaters sought the perfect lap, namely the pole position. Only one of them could get the first position, which fell to the Italian Gabriele Mini, who thus becomes the first pole sitter of the season. Followed by Gabriel Bortoleto and Grégorie Saucy.
How does qualifying work in Formula 3?
Unlike Formula 1, Formula 3 cars have 30 qualifying minutes at their disposal to complete the best lap. From the 2022 season, there will be 2 races per event again (no longer 3 as in 2021), with the Sprint Race on Saturday and the Feature Race on Sunday. The order of arrival in qualifying determines the starting grid on Sunday. In the Sprint Race instead the grid is formed by inverting the position of the first 12 drivers with respect to the order of arrival in qualifying.
Super Mini, but Bortoleto doesn't give up
Gabriele Mini, Alpine Academy driver and rookie took his first pole in Formula 3. The Hitech Pulse-Eight team rider showed an excellent pace during this morning's free practice session, however finishing in second position, behind the number #5, Gabriel Bortoleto, who seemed to have more. However, the positions were reversed in this afternoon of qualifying in Bahrain. Mini set the fastest lap right from the very first minutes. Bortoleto managed to unseat the Italian from first place, but the euphoria of first place faded moments later when his time was canceled for breaking track limits.
However, the Trident team rider was not discouraged and gave his best in the last 5 minutes, which however was not enough to take first place. Mini dominated this qualifying session, improving his time on the last available lap. Sunday's front row will be made up of two rookies!
Very close times
The gap recorded between the pole sitter and the twelfth driver is only 300 thousandths, which leads us to think that anything could happen in tomorrow's Sprint where the grid order will be changed. Indeed, tomorrow Josep Marìa Martì will start first, the Campos Racing driver finished 12th. In the Campos house only Hugh Barter did better than Martì, putting the car in fifth position.
Well ART GP that gets the third place with Saucy and the sixth with Kaylen Frederick. They certainly hoped for pole position, but it didn't go badly for Trident who, after the second place of the Brazilian Bortoleto, also conquers the fourth position with Oliver Goethe and the seventh with Leonardo Fenaroli.
All the riders in the top 10 for Prema, with Dino Beganovic leading his teammates in P8, followed by Mercedes Junior Driver Paul Aaron and in tenth position the Englishman Zak O'Sullivan.
We just have to wait for the next checkered flag to find out who will get the first win of the 2023 season in F3!
