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More than half of the 2023 Formula 3 drivers are rookies. Five of them are in the top ten in the standings.
The Formula 3 Sprint Race podium from left to right: Gabriel Bortoleto, Gabriele Minì, and Nikita Bedrin (Image Credit: @Formula3 on Twitter)The Sprint Race in Hungary saw the second all-rookie podium of the season, the first being the Feature Race in Monaco.
Hitech Grand Prix’s Gabriele Minì took his second win of the season, while championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto took second and Jenzer Motorsport’s Nikita Bedrin came third to score his maiden podium in the category.
While it’s not unusual to see rookies performing well, it’s less usual to see three of the top four drivers in the standings all in their first Formula 3 season.
After the Sprint Race, FormulaNerds caught up with the top three finishers and asked them about the high level the rookies have been performing at in 2023.
Bortoleto and Mini on being well prepared
Bortoleto stressed the importance of being well prepared for Formula 3 as a factor in the rookies, including himself, performing well.
He told FormulaNerds: “Being honest, I think everything we have done, I would say my generation, from Gabriele, [Dino] Beganovic, [Gregoire] Saucy and all these guys, even if Saucy had one year before us, I think everything we have done, we were all in the top five or top three in the first season almost.
“So we have shown that we have the capacity to be very good straight away from the first season. As Gabriele said I think we have been preparing very well in the previous years, we did two years of FRECA last season. So it’s a good thing for us to prepare for the FIA F3 season.
“And a lot of the top guys from last season stepped up to F2 as well, like Martins, Maloney, for sure they were already in their second season, but yeah. Having strong rookies is really good for everyone I think.”
Race winner Minì echoed Bortoleto’s sentiment. “Of course this year the rookies, in general, have been really strong,” he commented. “Me myself, I’ve done a pole position on the first event of the year and Gabriel was in P2, so we both looked very strong right from the first event.
“I think it’s just that we’ve been prepared very well in the previous years, so in the end we are just trying to show what we learned and I think also that the team has helped us to really improve our pace to now to be honest.”
Bedrin catching up
It was a maiden podium for Bedrin, and Jenzer’s best result in Formula 3 since 2021. Completing the all-rookie podium and getting his second points-finish of the season is a result of the progress he’s made since the start of the year.
Bedrin celebrates on the podium at the Hungaroring after the Sprint Race (Image Credit: Rudy Carezzevoli – Getty Images)I’m quite happy,” he said after the race. “It’s not been the best season so far but we’ve made a lot of progress with the team and with myself as well.
“I’m quite happy to be on the podium, especially here. I did an ok Qualifying yesterday, I was finally in the top 12. I also had a good lap in Austria but my lap was deleted so I went from P4 to P20, so this is my first experience fighting at the front. It’s also different to manage the tyres at the front compared to the back.
“It was a difficult race, but I’m happy to finish on the podium. I think I’ve done a good job this race. Maybe I could have done a few things differently in the beginning, like pushing a little bit less.”
In answer to FormulaNerds’ question about the quality of the rookies this season, Bedrin said:”I generally think it’s a very difficult grid this year, there are many good rookies, especially coming from FRECA.
“So for sure the [level of] the grid is high, and I’m happy that me and the team also had good progress until this Round 8 I would say, and now that we actually can fight with them for the podium positions I hope to keep this up for the rest of the season as well.”
Feature Image Credit: @Formula3 on Twitter