2023 FIA Formula 3 Season Preview

One of the most important pillars on any junior drivers radar in the quest to become one of the 20 to participate in Formula 1, is FIA Formula 3. This feeder series has produced some incredible racing moments as well championship battles, including the 2020 season where now McLaren driver Oscar Piastri narrowly beat out Theo Pourchaire and Williams’ Logan Sargeant in an epic title decider at Mugello.

30 drivers, 10 rounds, 1 champion.

Let’s take a look at the 2023 FIA Formula 3 season.

Calendar

Formula 3 extends to a 10 race calendar for the first in the championships history with two new races added to the series. Monaco returns to the calendar for the first time since 2005, which is sure to be chaotic with 30 full-charged F3 cars belting around the tight streets of the principality.

The other addition to the 2023 season is the championships first foray down under, as both support series’ taking on the streets of Albert Park, Formula 3 will be heading to the streets of Melbourne until 2035. Zandvoort drops off the calendar after being the penultimate for the 2022 season.

Car

Formula 3 continues to run the same 2019 Dallara chassis it has done over the last four seasons. Powered by a 3.4 litre naturally aspirated Mecachrome engine, this powerful open-wheeler can produce 380 horsepower at 8000 rpm. At full-tilt, this Formula 3 can reach a top speed of 300 km/h.

Teams & Drivers

PREMA

PREMA enters this season with a brand new driver lineup, and one would argue this is one of their strongest since the 2020 campaign which featured F3 champion Oscar Piastri, Frederik Vesti and Logan Sargeant. This season, Mercedes junior Paul Aron, Ferrari academy driver Dino Beganovic and Williams academy’s Zak O’Sullivan lead PREMA’s defence of the team championship.

Aron comes highly regarded by Mercedes, and he will be hoping to avoid a similar fate his countryman Juri Vips succumbed to. The Estonian raced in Formula Regional European with PREMA finishing in 3rd position with five race victories, finishing behind PREMA teammate Beganovic and now Hitech’s Gabriele Minì.

Beganovic has a lot of admirers at Ferrari, and another positive season will certainly help the Swedes cause of an Formula 1 seat in the next few seasons. Last season, Beganovic took his first championship winning Formula Regional European beating several highly rated Formula 3 drivers, winning by 58 points.

O’Sullivan is the one of a handful of drivers who have come back for a second season of Formula 3 with the Williams Academy driver hoping to improve on his 11th place finish last season. There were a few highs for the British driver in his first F3 campaign, including a 2nd placed at the Silverstone feature race and a 3rd at the Zandvoort sprint race.

Trident

Trident were close, but not close enough to retaining their teams championship falling short by 54 points. The Italian squad has a new driver lineup for 2023 with Johnny Edgar leaving for MP Motorsport, Roman Stanek moving up to Formula 2 and Zane Maloney also moving up but with Carlin.

The great Italian hope for Trident is Leonardo Fornaroli. Joining the Formula 3 grid at 18, Fornaroli raced in Formula Regional Asia with Hitech where he finished 17th, and Formula Regional European with Trident in which he finished 8th and claimed rookie of the season honours.

Gabriel Bortoleto is an interesting prospect coming off a strong season in Formula Regional European. The 18-year old Brazilian raced for R-ace GP where he finished 6th, scoring two pole positions and two race wins coming at Spa and Catalunya.

German driver Oliver Goethe rounds out this impressive lineup for Trident. Goethe had a busy and successful 2022 campaign which included runs in Formula Regional Asia, 24H GT Series Content, Euroformula Open Championship and even a brief stint in Formula 3. In Euroformula, Goethe was dominant driving for Team Motopark where he scored 7 pole positions, 12 fastest laps and 11 wins on his way to the title.

ART Grand Prix

ART Grand Prix was the home of 2022 Formula 3 World Champion Victor Martins, who now joins the Formula 2. They also had Juan Manuel Correa for two-seasons, but he also gained promotion with Van Amersfoort Racing. Gregoire Saucy retains his seat with ART for a second season whilst Kaylen Frederick joins from Hitech and rookie Nikola Tsolov makes the step-up from Formula Regional.

Kaylen Frederick is entering his third season in Formula 3, after outings with Hitech and the aforementioned Carlin. His time in this category has been trying, in 2021 with Carlin, Frederick managed a single points finish coming in Austria. Last season was a little more fruitful for the American, finishing 17th in the standings which included a best finish of 5th at the Silverstone sprint race. The 20-year old will be hoping to continue his upward trajectory this season.

As mentioned previously, Saucy enters a second campaign in Formula 3 and he will certainly be hoping for a better season than 2022. As he saw his teammate Martins take the title, Saucy struggled to avoid trouble with multiple races ending in contact and out of the points. Saucy’s potential is high and 3rd place finish in the feature race at Bahrain shows he can do this, the question is can he be consistent enough to be a championship contender.

The last driver to join ART is Bulgarian Nikola Tsolov. At 16, Tsolov is one of the youngest drivers on the grid this season and one that comes with a limited resume. However, the Bulgarian showed an incredibly dominant performance in his first season of car racing. Racing for Campos in Formula 4 Spanish, Tsolov scored 13 victories on his way to a resounding 113 point victory over Hugh Barter. Tsolov was rewarded for his dominance and was signed to Alpines Academy for this season.

MP Motorsport

MP Motorsport had its moments in season 2022, which saw the Dutch outfit secure 4th on the teams championship. The heights were the two victories from Caio Collet in the Hungary and Zandvoort sprint races and Alexander Smolyar’s win in the Hungarian feature race. With three drivers leading the charge, can MP Motorsport mix it with the likes of PREMA and Trident.

After a strong first season in Formula 3 with fellow Dutch side Van Amersfoort Racing, Franco Colapinto will be hoping to improve on his 9th place finish. Which included two race wins coming at the Imola sprint race and at the temple of speed, Monza. Colapinto joined MP in the winter as well as becoming one of three drivers in Formula 3 that are part of the Williams Driver Academy.

Mari Boya remains with MP Motorsport, but gets the upgrade to a set in Formula 3. The Spaniard raced with MP Motorsport and ART during his second season of Formula Regional European, where Boya managed to finish 10th placed in the championship with a single podium scored at Imola.

Rounding out the driver lineup at MP Motorsport is the experienced Jonny Edgar. The Brit was part of Red Bull’s Driver Academy and Trident last season, and he will be hoping for a new lease on life with MP Motorsport. Edgar went through a lot last season, including being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. And despite this, Edgar managed to finish last season with eight points finishes with the highlight being a 4th place in the Spa sprint race.

Hitech Pulse-Eight

Hitech owe all of their success last season to Red Bull prodigy Isack Hadjar who rightly won the opportunity to race in Formula 2. The Frenchman’s three race victories were the highlights of the Silverstone based team. With a new driver lineup, will Oliver Oakes’ squad be able to progress up the Formula 3 grid.

One of the drivers with additional pressures compared to the majority of the grid, for better or for worse is Columbian Sebastian Montoya. The 17-year old has shown good development since making the move to Europe two years ago, racing in several categories including Formula Regional European and IMSA. Montoya was a stand-in for Campos at Zandvoort in Formula 3 last season, where he managed to score a double points finish. With his father 7-time Formula 1 race winner Juan Pablo Montoya watching, Sebastian has a lot to live up to.

Joining Montoya at Hitech for 2023 is Alpine Academy driver Gabriele Minì. The Italian was runner up to Dino Beganovic in Formula Regional European in 2022, and was mightily impressive in his second season with ART. Minì managed 9 podiums which included 3 race victories. With the backing of Alpine, Minì perhaps would’ve hoped to be further up the grid. But, has a good opportunity to develop in his first season of Formula 3.

The final driver to be announced on the eve of the Formula 3 season is 21-year old Brit Luke Browning. Heading into his debut season in F3, Browning scored 13 podiums and 5 victories in his title winning season in the GB3 Championship. Capping off his 2022 campaign, Browning was the winner of the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC award beating out the likes of Ollie Bearman and Jamie Chadwick.

Van Amersfoort

Van Amersfoort has quite an experienced driver trio than what you would come to expect from a Formula 3 team. However, despite going against the grain they will be hoping for similar results which saw the Dutch secure multiple race wins in their first season in the category.

Caio Collet has the most to prove in what will be his third season in Formula 3. After campaigns with ART and MP Motorsport, the Sao Paulo native managed a respectable 9th and 8th placed finishes in the championship. However, this wasn’t enough to convince Alpine that Collet was worthy of a spot in their academy who dropped him for younger prospects in 2023. Even at 20, this feels like it could be Collet’s last chance of success in Formula 3 if he hopes to progress up the European open-wheel pyramid.

This will also be a third campaign in Formula 3 for 21-year old Mexican Rafael Villagomez who remains with Van Amersfoort. Villagomez has struggled to make an impression with only one points finish to his name, which came in the chaotic Imola sprint race last season. Another driver who needs to make an impact if they are to remain in Formula 3.

Lastly, Van Amersfoort added fresh blood to the category with Australian Tommy Smith. The 20-year old’s resume isn’t exactly impressive in comparison to others on the grid, with only one race win to his name, coming at Spa in the GB3 Championship. Smith has shown consistency without exactly getting the big results in his career so far, so, the opportunity in Formula 3 is a real step to see if he has what it takes at this level.

Rodin Carlin

The contrasts of Carlin in Formula 2 and Formula 3 are stark, and in some way it’s a surprise that Trevor Carlin’s team isn’t further up the grid in this category. Last season was Carlin’s best for sometime in Formula 3, which saw Zak O’Sullivan score two podiums in what were the highlights for the British based team. But with O’Sullivan leaving for PREMA, can the new trio of drivers build on this progress?

Oliver Gray has a lot of potential, and unlike some he was able to forgo a season in Formula Regional European. Why? The 18-year old from Woking had an excellent season with Carlin in British Formula 4 where he managed to finish runner up behind Irishman Alex Dunne. Gray finished the campaign with 16 podiums and 2 wins en route to a seat with Carlin and being part of the Williams Driver Academy.

Entering his second full season of Formula 3, Hunter Yeany has been around the European open-wheeler scene. And yet, the 17-year old Yeany enters his first campaign with Carlin looking to score points for the very first time in Formula 3. The question is, will he?

Ido Cohen returns to Carlin after a season with Jenzer Motorsport, one in which the Israeli managed a single points finish. That came in the feature race at Hungary. Entering a third season of Formula 3, Cohen will need to prove a lot of doubters wrong if he is to progress up the formula ladder.

Campos

Campos are one of the few teams that struggle to gain a major result, however, when they do it’s a real occasion. Prior to 2022, Campos had only managed one victory since Formula 3 became part of the Formula 1 billing. That came through Lorenzo Colombo at Spa. Last season Campos doubled its win tally when David Vidales scored a win at the Spanish Grand Prix sprint race. With Vidales scoring 29 of the 53 points, with additional contributions from Sebastian Montoya and Oliver Goethe, can Campos move up the grid in 2023?

Josep Maria “Pepe” Marti is the only driver retained by Campos for the 2023 campaign. The Spaniard’s first outing in Formula 3 was trying, heading into the final race weekend Marti had only managed a best of 13th. A finish he managed on three separate occasions. At Monza, he was able to hit the scoreboard with a 9th placed finish in the sprint race. As the experienced driver in the team, Marti will be hoping and expecting to score points more often.

Christian Mansell prepares for his first full season in Formula 3 after getting a taste of it midway through last season. Two rounds with Charouz in Hungary and Belgium welded a best of 22nd. Mansell also raced in Euroformula Open where he finished the championship in 3rd place, scoring 15 podiums and 3 wins.

Finishing off Campos’ driver lineup is Australian Hugh Barter. The 17-year old spent 2022 racing in Spanish and French Formula 4 where he managed an excellent 2nd place in both championships, combined Barter managed 27 podiums and 16 wins. Barter has some real potential, the question remains if the leap to Formula 3 will be too much for the Australian.

Jenzer Motorsport

Jenzer Motorsport, the ultimate underdogs of Formula 3. Since 2019, the Swiss team has only managed to reach the podium on 5 occasions. The peak of the team's success came when AlphaTauri Yuki Tsunoda scored three consecutive podiums, which included an outstanding victory in the Monza sprint race. Three new challengers lineup for Jenzer, let's meet them.

Racing under an Italian licence thanks to the ban on the Russian emblem in due course of the war on Ukraine. Nikita Bedrin spent all of last season racing in Formula 4 with varying success. In Formula 4 UAE and ADAC Formula 4, Bedrin scored 3 wins and finished both championships in 4th place. Whilst, in Italian Formula 4 Bedrin only managed 12th place.

Joining Bedrin at Jenzer is 18-year old British driver Taylor Barnard. Barnard and Bedrin actually raced together at PHM Racing in Formula 4. Much like Bedrin, Barnard had a mixed bag of results. In Formula 4 UAE and Italian Formula 4 the Brit only managed a 9th and 8th placed finish. But in ADAC Formula 4, Barnard shone brightly with 5 race wins and a 2nd place finish in the championship.

Rounding out the driver lineup at Jenzer Motorsport is 19-year old Mexican driver Alex Garcia. It’s going to be a busy season for Garcia who will be pulling double duty in Formula 3 and the European Le Mans series. Last season, the Mexican raced in Euroformula Open for Team Motopark where he finished 7th in the standings.

PHM Racing by Charouz

Consistency and continuity is exactly what PHM Racing will be hoping for after taking over the Charouz team. Under the guise of Charouz, the then Czech outfit managed only a single point. In fact, they had more drivers race for Charouz last season than points scored. That came at the second round of the season when Francesco Pizzi managed a 10th placed finish in the sprint race. Can PHM Racing by Charouz move out of the basement?

Sophia Flörsch returns to Formula 3 after two seasons out of the category. During this period, the German has raced in DTM, World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans series with mixed success. Flörsch’s biggest result was scoring a 2nd place with teammate Bent Viscaal at the season opening race of the 2022 European Le Mans series race at Le Castellet. Heading into 2023, Flörsch is the first professional female driver to be part of Alpine’s Driver Academy.

Joining Flörsch at PHM Racing by Charouz is Brazilian Roberto Faria. The 19-year old spent all of last season with Carlin in the GB3 Championship. In his second campaign in the championship, Faria finished in 5th place scoring 6 podiums.

Piotr Wisnicki will be piloting car #31 and the final Formula 3 vehicle on the 2023 grid. The Polish driver has had little success result wise in his time in Italian Formula 4 and Formula Regional European where he failed to reach the podium. In Formula Regional European, Wisnicki failed to trouble the scorers finishing 35th with KIC Motorsport.

Prediction

In the short history of this rendition of the Formula 3 championship, there are a few constants. When it comes to the teams that are most likely to challenge regularly, PREMA, Trident and ART seem streets ahead of the competition. Without being controversial, PREMA is the horse to back for the teams championship in 2023.

The drivers championship is wide open and there are several names who will be fighting for the title. All three PREMA drivers will be in the mix and it will be hard to discount the likes of Oliver Goethe, Franco Colapinto and Gregoire Saucy. But, much like the number on his car, I’m backing Mercedes Junior Paul Aron to help PREMA win the double as the Estonian secures the drivers championship