F2 and F3 season preview: Czech hope Stanek and another batch of close fights

The Formula 1 season is getting closer and closer to its start. The lower categories are also preparing for Bahrain and are already testing on the Sakhir track ahead of the opening races of the season. Among the 52 F2 and F3 monoblocks we will find one Czech flag this year, this time in the category just below Formula 1.

Roman Staněk

The only Czech representative this year is Roman Stanek, who remains with the Trident stable, but this time he will drive in F2. His teammate for this year will be Frenchman Clément Novalak, who certainly can’t be proud of his good results.

Last season, he was on the podium in a sprint in the Netherlands, but otherwise finished 14th overall with just 40 points.

Moreover, Novalak drove for the championship-winning MP Motorsport, in which Felipe Drugovich took the title. The 22-year-old Frenchman has to show some good results this year, otherwise he will probably say goodbye to his dream of racing in the queen of motorsport.

The Czech talent can benefit from one more fact. The native of Valašské Meziříčí is only 18 years old and still has time to develop. If he can get some decent results in the opening races, it could change his position in the team.

“I think realistically Roman can think about podiums and possibly winning sprint races,” said F2 and F3 commentator Jiri Kosta exclusively for Ruik. He also recalled that Trident has not yet fought for the championship title in Formula 2.

It is still very early to make any predictions, but the first days of testing show that Stanek could at least trouble his teammate. But the Trident drivers have a tough task ahead of them, judging by the test results. Their monoblocs are in the second half of the table.

Formula 2 favourites

The French ART Grand Prix line-up, consisting of last year’s F2 runner-up Théo Pourchaire and 2022 F3 winner Victor Martins, looks very strong this year. The championship leader will be driven by Norwegian Dennis Hauger, who takes over from Felipe Drugovich in the MP Motorsport car in which the Brazilian triumphed last year.

Hauger has not fared well in 2022, with no results coming from the otherwise traditionally strong Prema Racing team. Poor results were also mentioned by Kosta, for whom the stall hesitation came in a mysterious way. Now it is up to the Norwegian driver to shine this season.

“He has a lot of experience, but it seems to me that Red Bull has put him on the back burner,” Kosta responded to Nora’s affiliation in the junior division of the current F1 king. “He will have to be in a class of his own this year to convince the stable to move up to Formula 1,” he added.

Not forgetting the younger member of the Leclerc brother duo, Arthur, who will battle for the number one position in the DAMS team with the talented Japanese Ayumu Iwasa. Last but not least, it is worth mentioning the name of Enzo Fittipaldi, who is likely to get a faster car at Carlin than at Charouz and could be among the title contenders.

Formula 3 – famous names and races in Monaco

The lower junior category will see one big return in Bahrain. German racer Sophia Flörsch, who returns to the series after a two-year break, will once again take her seat in F3. She did not score in any of her 16 attempts in 2020 and did not start the next season.

Don’t expect points this year either, Flörsch will be driving for the PHM Racing team, formerly Charouz Racing System. This stable has had very poor results in recent years. With Charouz, the Czech flag has also left F3, and no driver will start this year.

But there will be no shortage of quality names. Probably the most famous surname on the grid is Sebastian, the son of former F1 Grand Prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya. The Colombian will start for the Hitech GP team, which is the only one that has not yet announced its full line-up for 2023.

Among the main favourites we can include two names in particular, Zak O’Sullivan and Grégoire Saucy, who already drew attention to themselves last year. O’Sullivan’s colleague from Prema, Swede Dino Beganovic, is also showing interesting results in the Bahrain tests.

The last name worth mentioning is Bulgarian Nikola Tsolov. The current Spanish F4 champion is not only a member of Alpin’s junior team, but also a confidant of the legendary Fernando Alonso. “Once again we have a great talent emerging, but he may need another year in F3 to be ready to fight for the title,” adds Kosta’s perspective.

Formula 3 will also visit Monaco this year after a long break. The last time F3’s predecessor, GP3, was on its streets. It will be a confrontation for the young and predatory drivers with possibly the toughest circuit in the world, and it is possible that the spectators will be treated to a solid demolition derby.

“At the same time, it may separate the wheat from the chaff and perhaps we will see the birth of a new talent and a future Formula 1 driver,” comments F2 and F3 commentator Kosta. Either way, the Monaco races could bring plenty of racing moments.

Both the F2 and F3 seasons will kick off in Bahrain on the first weekend of March, followed by fourteen and ten stops around the world for F2 and F3 drivers respectively.

Sources: FIA Formula2, FIA Formula 3