- Five consecutive rounds begin mid-January 2022
- UAE-based 15-race calendar repeats successful 2021 format
- New features include reverse grids and Rookie Cup
Organizers of the F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA have confirmed the series’ fifth season will get underway in mid-January 2022. Following the enormous success of the 2021 season, the five-round, 15-race schedule will be run consecutively and will once again be entirely based in the UAE, at the stunning Yas Marina Formula 1 track and the nearby Dubai Autodrome.
As before, each round will comprise two hours of testing, free practice, qualifying and three races, giving maximum track time to young drivers. However, new for 2022 will be partially reversed grids for race two. In previous seasons, the starting order for the second race of each round was decided by each driver’s fastest lap in the opening race. For 2022, the grid for race two will follow the final results of race one, but with the top 10 in reverse order.
A separate, points-scoring Rookie Cup will give junior single seater newcomers a chance to shine, while FIA Super Licence points will once again be on offer to the top overall championship finishers.
The technical package already confirmed with championship partners Tatuus/Autotecnica, and Giti Tires will continue its long-standing series partnership as official tire.
Commented Davide De Gobbi, General Manager of Top Speed: “We have already received huge interest in the 2022 F3 Asian Championship season from teams, driver management and drivers themselves. We will be looking to repeat the enormous success of the 2021 season which delivered a compact, competitive, cost-effective and ultimately thrilling championship.”
Earlier this year China’s Zhou Guanyu lifted the 2021 F3 Asian Championship title before going on to make his mark in the FIA F2 Championship this season, alongside his duties as an Alpine F1 Team test driver. The career of the 22-year-old Shanghainese native continues its inexorable rise, and he is being hotly tipped in some quarters to become his country’s first-ever Formula 1 driver.
Since its launch in 2018, the F3 Asian Championship has become the optimal platform for single seater newcomers to measure their skills against some of the world’s most promising international Formula 3 talents. For FIA F3 Championship aspirants, the series presents a highly-competitive precursor to the European season as well as an opportunity to earn all-important FIA Super License points.
Drivers have the option of entering with Asian or European-based teams, both of which have found success in the championship. UK-based Hitech Grand Prix won two consecutive Team titles in 2018 and 2019, while Zhuhai-based BlackArts Racing claimed the honors in 2020, with Driver Champion Joey Alders beating Red Bull Junior Driver Jack Doohan to the title. This season a collaboration between the UAE’s Abu Dhabi Racing and celebrated Italian outfit Prema Powerteam earned them the 2021 Team title.
Organized by respected long-time promoter Top Speed, the championship is run to the highest international standards, from race direction, scrutineering, technical support and implementation of the regulations, to parts provision, logistics and hospitality.
