Leclerc Jr hits his stride to extend series lead
Ferrari protege Arthur Leclerc was already leading the Formula Regional Asian Championship standings heading into the second of three successive weekends in Dubai thanks to his consistency, but he hit top form this time out to extend his advantage at the top.
Leclerc’s exploits were part of a superb weekend for the Prema-run Mumbai Falcons team, whose three drivers all won a race apiece, and finished 1-2-3 in the opener. This one was won by Sebastian Montoya, who fended off a spirited start from Hitech-run Red Bull Junior Isack Hadjar. The Frenchman was caught asleep at the restart after a safety car, and had to close back in on Montoya, but he and third-placed team-mate Leonardo Fornaroli were each penalised five seconds for an out of position start. Leclerc moved up to second from Dino Beganovic, with Hadjar relegated to fifth.
Pinnacle Motorsport pair Dilano van’t Hoff and Pepe Marti started at the front for the finale, and battled furiously with Leclerc. Marti appeared to have things under control, but an error let in Leclerc to take charge, with the Spaniard heading Dutchman van’t Hoff (the reigning Spanish F4 champion) for second.
Beganovic’s win came in fine style in the reversed-grid race two. The Swede shot from eighth at the start to fourth in one lap, before dispatching Fornaroli for third, van’t Hoff for second, and then series debutant Michael Belov for the lead. The Evans Gp-run Russian then held off Leclerc to claim second place.