Rookies shine as 2020 almost-champ joins test

The FIA Formula 2 drivers had already got their racing season under way in Bahrain, but it wasn’t until last weekend that their (mainly) younger brethren in FIA F3 took to the track for the first two-day pre-season official test of

2021 at the Red Bull Ring.

Brazilian Caio Collet (below), the Nicolas Todt-managed Alpine F1 junior who finished runner-up in last season’s Formula Renault Eurocup, led the way with Dutch team MP Motorsport, and was the first of three rookies in the overall top four. Perhaps even more impressively, the other two F3 newcomers at the sharp end were 15-year-old American Jak Crawford and 17-year-old Brit Jonny Edgar, the Red Bull Juniors who spent last season fighting each other for the German F4 crown, and who have made a huge leap up the ladder for 2021.

Splitting the youthful quartet was another Red Bull-backed driver, Norwegian Dennis Hauger, who has switched to Prema Powerteam for this season and ended up second.

Times were generally quicker on the second day. On the first, it was

ART Grand Prix-run Russian Alexandr Smolyar who was fastest, but he failed to improve on day two. Clement Novalak (Trident) had topped the opening session. The following day, Calan Williams, who is now being overseen by long-time ex-fortec man and fellow Australian Mick Kouros at Jenzer Motorsport, headed the opening session, which was interrupted by snow.

Intriguingly, Logan Sargeant, pipped to the title in 2020 with Prema, occupied one of the Charouz Racing System seats. The American is short of funds, and it’s not impossible that he could race with the Czech-based team. “We’re literally assessing options,” said Harry Soden, his manager at Infinity.

“It was to help them with a bit of development on the car. He was in Europe anyway and it worked for both parties – a win-win.”

Apart from the standout Edgar, Carlin had reigning British F3 champion Kaylen Frederick on board, with the American’s deal for the season announced on the eve of the test. A shuffle at the team has brought two of its triumvirate of F2 brains into the F3 fold. Dutch boffin Stefan de Groot is now technical director across both F2 and F3, while Dan Ticktum’s F2 engineer Matt Ogle is on double duty too and is looking after Frederick in F3.

Frederick’s deal means just two Charouz seats remain to be filled.