The 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship was a multi-event,
Formula Regional
Formula Regional (FR) is an FIA-approved moniker for certified regional one-make Formula Three championships with the concept being approved during the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in December 2017. The first series under new regulations w ...
open-wheel single seater motor racing
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of tw ...
championship. The championship featured a mix of professional and amateur drivers, competing in Formula Regional cars. It was the fifth season of the championship, and the first season under the Formula Regional moniker, after a rebrand happened due to the FIA ending the F3 category name.
The season was held over five consecutive weekends in January and February 2022.
For the first time, the second race of a weekend was a reversed-grid race, reversing the top 10 finishers of race one.
Arthur Leclerc won the drivers' championship with two races to spare, while his team,
Mumbai Falcons India Racing, won the teams' championship.
Pepe Martí
Josep Maria "Pepe" Martí Sobrepera (born 13 June 2005) is a Spanish racing driver who most recently raced in the FIA Formula 3 for Campos Racing. He is a race winner in the UAE and Spanish Formula 4 championships, and also the 2022 Formula Reg ...
, second overall, won the Rookie Cup, and
Khaled Al Qubaisi
Khaled Abdulla Al Qubaisi (born 22 December 1975 in Abu Dhabi) is an Emirati businessman and racing driver who is the Chief Executive Officer of Real Estate & Infrastructure Investments at Mubadala Investment Company. In his role at Mubadala, Al ...
earned Masters Cup honors.
Teams and drivers
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Esteban Masson
Esteban Masson (born 18 September 2004) is a Canadian-French racing driver who is the 2021 French F4 Championship, 2021 French F4 champion and currently drives for Campos Racing in the 2023 Eurocup-3 season. He previously competed in the 2022 Fo ...
was scheduled to compete for
BlackArts Racing, but did not appear in any rounds.
Race calendar and results
The first proposal for the race calendar was announced on 21 September 2021. As the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
meant that most parts of Asia still were under heavy restrictions, the calendar only consisted of races in the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...
for the second year in a row.
Season report
The season started off at
Yas Marina Circuit
The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and is situated on Yas Island, near Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Yas Marina w ...
in Abu Dhabi, with
Sebastian Montoya and
Gabriele Mini sharing poles in qualifying. Montoya won the opening race, while multiple collisions behind him forced the race to end under the safety car. The second race was won by Gabriel Bortoleto, his maiden win in the FR category, remaining largely unchallenged as his biggest on-track rival,
Isack Hadjar
Isack Alexandre Hadjar (born 28 September 2004) is a French-Algerian racing driver who most recently competed in the FIA Formula 3 Championship for Hitech Grand Prix. He was the 2021 Formula Regional European rookie champion and is a member of ...
, retired halfway through the race. Race three saw a big crash at the start as
Cem Bölükbaşı
Cem Bölükbaşı (; born 9 February 1998) is a Turkish racing driver and former sim racer who is set to compete in the 2023 Super Formula Championship with TGM Grand Prix, having last raced in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Charouz Racin ...
stalled on the grid and was hit by two other drivers, a collision heavy enough that the lengthy subsequent repairs on his car saw him withdraw from the championship. Gabriele Mini won the race, followed home by Jak Crawford and Hadjar. At the end of the first round, Mini led the standings by three points over
Arthur Leclerc, with Montoya in third.
As the championship headed into its three-round
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
leg, Montoya took pole again, this time sharing the achievement with
Hadrien David
Hadrien David (born 26 February 2004), is a French racing driver who most recently competed in the Formula Regional European Championship with R-ace GP. He was the youngest FIA Formula 4 Champion when he won the French F4 Championship in 2019 ...
. The latter overtook the former on lap three of the first race and then led home in a race where championship leader Mini had to retire late on due to a mechanical failure. The reverse-grid race two not only gave Leclerc his first win of the season as he passed polesitter
Pierre-Louis Chovet
Pierre-Louis Chovet (born 11 April 2002) is a French racing driver.
Career Karting
Pierre-Louis Chovet practiced many sports during his childhood such as skiing, BMX or tennis. He attended the 2011 Monaco Grand Prix and quickly developed a p ...
, he also took the points lead to which he held on until the very end. Hadrien David won again in the third race of the weekend, his last race of the season as the Frenchman left the championship following round two. Poor results meant Mini dropped out of the championship top three, while leader Leclerc was nine and twelve points clear respectively of French duo David and Hadjar.
The circuit configuration was changed for the fourth round, but Montoya still prevailed in qualifying, accompanied by
Dilano van 't Hoff
Dilano van 't Hoff (born 26 July 2004) is a Dutch racing driver who is currently competing in the 2021 F4 Spanish Championship, F4 Spanish Championship and 2021 Formula Regional European Championship, Formula Regional European Championship for MP ...
. Montoya converted his race one pole into a win once again, heading a Mumbai Falcons 1-2-3 in a red-flagged race due to
Francesco Braschi
Francesco Braschi (born 27 November 2004), is an Italian people, Italian racing driver competing in the 2022 Formula Regional European Championship for KIC Motorsport.
Career Italian F4 Championship 2020
After several tests, Braschi made hi ...
's engine blowing up halfway through. In race two,
Dino Beganovic
Dino Beganovic ( bs, Beganović dino bɛˈɡanovitɕ born 19 January 2004) is a Swedish-Bosnian racing driver, currently set to compete in the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship with Prema Racing. He was the 2022 Formula Regional European champ ...
overtook four cars at the start and three more later to win from eighth place on the grid. Van 't Hoff wasn't able to hold on to his pole position, relinquishing the lead of the race to
Pepe Martí
Josep Maria "Pepe" Martí Sobrepera (born 13 June 2005) is a Spanish racing driver who most recently raced in the FIA Formula 3 for Campos Racing. He is a race winner in the UAE and Spanish Formula 4 championships, and also the 2022 Formula Reg ...
, who was then overtaken for the win by Leclerc. The Monegasque now had a 35-point advantage over second-placed Martí, with Montoya in third, a further four points behind.
The fourth round of the championship saw multiple changes in the driver lineup, as many drivers elected to only take part in three rounds to keep their rookie status for championships in the same category later in the year. Estonian driver
Paul Aron took double pole for the third and last Dubai event, but it was Hadjar who took the first race win, after the pair battled all race long. Braschi started from reverse grid pole in race two, but was passed at the start by
Patrik Pasma.
Jak Crawford
Carlton Jackston "Jak" Crawford (born 2 May 2005) is an American racing driver who most recently competed in the 2022 FIA Formula 3 Championship with Prema Racing. He is a member of the Red Bull Junior Team and finished as runner-up in the 2020 AD ...
overtook
Oliver Bearman
Oliver Bearman (born 8 May 2005) is a British racing driver. He was the 2021 Italian and ADAC Formula 4 champion and is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy. He most recently competed for Prema Racing in the 2022 FIA Formula 3 Championship, end ...
, who made his debut in round 4, in the last corner of the last lap, finishing in second place by a tenth of a second. Leclerc once again extended his championship lead after taking race three victory from Aron, he was 40 points ahead of Martí and Hadjar heading into the last round.
The championship returned to Abu Dhabi for its season finale, with Leclerc converting his race one pole into a dominant victory, claiming the drivers' championship in the process as Martí, the only other driver still in contention, had a horrible race and finished in 12th after dropping back to 23rd at one point. The penultimate race of the season was a chaotic one, with Mini taking a closely-fought win over Beganovic. Hadjar and Mini ended the championship with a Hitech 1-2 in the final race.
At the end of the season, Leclerc had amassed a 60-point advantage over his closest rival, although the very competitive Montoya, David and Mini didn't enter all rounds. Martí was the biggest surprise of the season as came second and took a dominant rookie title. The 2022 season saw grids climb to record highs for the championship, culminating at 29 entries for the season finale. The addition of a reversed grid for the second race meant more overtakes, and even the Masters Cup was reintroduced and won by Khaled Al Qubaisi, after there were no masters' entries in 2021.
Mumbai Falcons India Racing took their first teams' championship in their second season of competition, over 80 points ahead of second place.
Championship standings
Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top ten drivers.
Drivers' Championship
Rookie Cup
Masters Cup
Teams' Championship
Ahead of each event, the teams nominated two drivers that accumulate teams' points.
Notes
References
External links
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{{Formula Regional
FR Asia
FR Asia
FR Asia