The 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship was a multi-event, Formula Regional open-wheel single seater motor racing 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, second overall, won the Rookie Cup, and Khaled Al Qubaisi earned Masters Cup honors.
Teams and drivers TeamNo.DriverStatusRounds Evans GP 2 Patrik Pasma3–5 12 Sami Meguetounif 5 14 Nicola MarinangeliAll 30 Michael Belov3–5 74 Cem Bölükbaşı1 78 Frederick Lubin 1–3 Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema 3 Paul AronAll 52 Jak CrawfordAll 66 Khaled Al Qubaisi All 88 Hamda Al Qubaisi All 99 Amna Al QubaisiAll Hitech Grand Prix 4 Gabriele Minì1–2, 4–5 5 Leonardo Fornaroli 1–3 6 Isack HadjarAll 7 Joshua Dufek 1–3 Vladislav Lomko 5 92 Owen Tangavelou 3–5 BlackArts Racing 9 Thomas Luedi All 21 Brice Morabito 1 26 Ido Cohen1 Pierre-Louis Chovet2–5 36 Ido Cohen4–5 Mumbai Falcons India Racing 10 Dino BeganovicAll 28 Arthur LeclercAll 37 Oliver Bearman 4–5 46 Sebastián Montoya 1–3 Evans GP Academy 11 Levente Révész All 77 David Morales All 3Y by R-ace GP 15 Oliver GoetheAll 16 Lorenzo FluxáAll 17 Hadrien David1–2 Léna Bühler4–5 18 Gabriel Bortoleto1–2 Francesco Braschi 3–5 Pinnacle Motorsport 23 Pepe Martí All 27 Dilano van 't Hoff All 34 Salih Yoluç All 55 Ayato Iwasaki All Icon Status Rookie Master Guest drivers ineligible for points Esteban Masson was scheduled to compete for BlackArts Racing, but did not appear in any rounds.
Race calendar The first proposal for the race calendar was announced on 21 September 2021. As the COVID-19 pandemic meant that most parts of Asia still were under heavy restrictions, the calendar only consisted of races in the United Arab Emirates for the second year in a row. RoundCircuitDateSupportingMap of circuit locations 1R1 (Grand Prix Circuit) 22 January R2 23 JanuaryR3 2R1 Dubai Autodrome(International Circuit) 29 January UAE Touring Car ChampionshipR2 30 JanuaryR3 3R1 Dubai Autodrome(Grand Prix Circuit) 5 February Gulf Radical CupUAE Touring Car ChampionshipR2 6 FebruaryR3 4R1 Dubai Autodrome(Grand Prix Circuit) 12 February R213 FebruaryR3 5R1 Yas Marina Circuit(Grand Prix Circuit) 19 February Asian Le Mans SeriesR2R320 February
Race results RoundCircuitPole positionFastest lapWinning driverWinning teamRookie Winner 1R1 (Grand Prix Circuit) Sebastián Montoya Hadrien David Sebastián Montoya Mumbai Falcons India Racing Sebastián MontoyaR2 Isack Hadjar Gabriel Bortoleto 3Y by R-ace GP Sebastián MontoyaR3 Gabriele Minì Pepe Martí Gabriele Minì Hitech Grand Prix Pepe Martí 2R1 Dubai Autodrome(International Circuit) Sebastián Montoya Hadrien David Hadrien David 3Y by R-ace GP Pepe MartíR2 Hadrien David Arthur Leclerc Mumbai Falcons India Racing Pepe MartíR3 Hadrien David Pepe Martí Hadrien David 3Y by R-ace GP Pepe Martí 3R1 Dubai Autodrome(Grand Prix Circuit) Sebastián Montoya Sebastián Montoya Sebastián Montoya Mumbai Falcons India Racing Sebastián MontoyaR2 Dino Beganovic Dino Beganovic Mumbai Falcons India Racing Pepe MartíR3 Dilano van 't Hoff Sebastián Montoya Arthur Leclerc Mumbai Falcons India Racing Pepe Martí 4R1 Dubai Autodrome(Grand Prix Circuit) Paul Aron Paul Aron Isack Hadjar Hitech Grand Prix Pepe MartíR2 Jak Crawford Patrik Pasma Evans GP Oliver BearmanR3 Paul Aron Dino Beganovic Arthur Leclerc Mumbai Falcons India Racing Pepe Martí 5R1 Yas Marina Circuit(Grand Prix Circuit) Arthur Leclerc Arthur Leclerc Arthur Leclerc Mumbai Falcons India Racing Oliver BearmanR2 Isack Hadjar Gabriele Minì Hitech Grand Prix Pepe MartíR3 Isack Hadjar Gabriele Minì Isack Hadjar Hitech Grand Prix Pepe Martí
Season report The season started off at Yas Marina Circuit 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, retired halfway through the race. Race three saw a big crash at the start as Cem Bölükbaşı 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 leg, Montoya took pole again, this time sharing the achievement with Hadrien David. 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, 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. 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's engine blowing up halfway through. In race two, Dino Beganovic 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, 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 overtook Oliver Bearman, 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.
Championship standings
Scoring system Points were awarded to the top ten drivers. Position 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th Points251815121086421
Drivers' Championship PosDriverABU1DUB1DUB2DUB3ABU2PtsR1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R31 Arthur Leclerc 3 3 5 9 1 7 2 3 1 4 5 1 1 3 122182 Pepe Martí Ret Ret 4 2 7 2 4 4 2 3 4 3 12 4 61583 Isack Hadjar 4 16† 3 8 3 3 5 11 Ret 1 11 10 4 25 1 1344 Gabriele Minì 2 Ret 1 Ret 13 4 5 7 4 8 1 21305 Dino Beganovic 5 Ret 11 5 2 5 3 1 15 Ret 14 27† 2 2 71306 Jak Crawford 11 7 2 4 9 6 12 7 12 6 2 6 3 Ret 41137 Sebastián Montoya 1 4 10 3 Ret 19 1 9 4928 Paul Aron Ret 15 7 15 10 23 6 14 Ret 2 8 2 5 Ret 3809 Hadrien David Ret Ret 9 1 4 16410 Lorenzo Fluxá 6 2 8 13 5 9 11 5 8 11 9 16 16 9 86411 Patrik Pasma 13 8 5 9 1 7 7 Ret 56312 Michael Belov 10 2 6 15 6 5 14 6 95513 Dilano van 't Hoff DNS DNS DNS 7 Ret 24† 7 6 3 8 13 12 9 5 115114 Gabriel Bortoleto 10 1 6 6 Ret 84615 Oliver Bearman 7 3 24 6 Ret 232916 Pierre-Louis Chovet 10 6 12 8 12 7 12 10 11 10 8 102617 Leonardo Fornaroli 8 5 22† 11 8 11 9 26† 92218 Joshua Dufek 9 6 16 12 16 10 16 27† 101219 Frederick Lubin 7 8 21 16 12 14 17 19 181020 Sami Meguetounif 13 7 22621 Ido Cohen WD WD WD 25† 26† 8 27 11 15422 Francesco Braschi Ret 15 14 10 19 9 11 23 19323 Levente Révész 13 9 12 18 14 13 15 13 Ret 18 21 17 20 14 14224 Nicola Marinangeli Ret Ret 13 14 11 15 14 10 11 14 17 13 Ret 13 16125 Oliver Goethe Ret 14 18 19 DNS DNS 23 18 13 13 12 14 17 10 17126 Amna Al Qubaisi 14 10 Ret Ret 19 17 21 21 DNS 20 20 20 Ret 18 Ret127 Ayato Iwasaki 15 11 15 21 18 18 19 25 17 22 16 23 19 16 20028 Hamda Al Qubaisi 12 Ret 14 20 17 16 18 16 16 17 Ret 18 18 17 21029 Léna Bühler 26† 18 15 15 12 Ret030 Brice Morabito 18 12 17031 Owen Tangavelou 20 17 20 16 15 25 23 20 13032 Thomas Lüdi 19 13 20 24† 22 22 26† 24 22 24 22 22 26 24 25033 David Morales 20† 17† Ret 17 15 Ret 24 20 19 19 25 19 22 19 18034 Vladislav Lomko 21 15 26035 Khaled Al Qubaisi 16 Ret 19 22 20 20 22 23 23 23 23 21 24 22 Ret036 Salih Yoluç 17 Ret Ret 23 21 21 25 22 21 21 24 26† 25 21 240— Cem Bölükbaşı Ret Ret Ret—PosDriverR1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3PtsABU1DUB1DUB2DUB3ABU2Bold – Pole
Italics – Fastest Lap
Rookie Cup PosDriverABU1DUB1DUB2DUB3ABU2PtsR1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R31 Pepe Martí Ret Ret 4 2 7 2 4 4 2 3 4 3 12 4 62982 Dilano van 't Hoff DNS DNS DNS 7 Ret 24† 7 6 3 8 13 12 9 5 111673 Sebastián Montoya 1 4 10 3 Ret 19 1 9 4 1454 Levente Révész 13 9 12 18 14 13 15 13 Ret 18 21 17 20 14 141355 Leonardo Fornaroli 8 5 22† 11 8 11 9 26† 91046 Hamda Al Qubaisi 12 Ret 14 20 17 16 18 16 16 17 Ret 18 18 17 21927 Joshua Dufek 9 6 16 12 16 10 16 27† 10898 Francesco Braschi Ret 15 14 10 19 9 11 23 19809 Ayato Iwasaki 15 11 15 21 18 18 19 25 17 22 16 23 19 16 208010 Frederick Lubin 7 8 21 16 12 14 17 19 187911 Oliver Bearman 7 3 24 6 Ret 237312 David Morales 20† 17† Ret 17 15 Ret 24 20 19 19 25 19 22 19 185613 Owen Tangavelou 20 17 20 16 15 25 23 20 134814 Sami Meguetounif 13 7 222715 Brice Morabito 18 12 171616 Vladislav Lomko 21 15 2612PosDriverR1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3PtsABU1DUB1DUB2DUB3ABU2
Masters Cup PosDriverABU1DUB1DUB2DUB3ABU2PtsR1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R31 Khaled Al Qubaisi 16 Ret 19 22 20 20 22 23 23 23 23 21 24 22 Ret2872 Salih Yoluç 17 Ret Ret 23 21 21 25 22 21 21 24 26† 25 21 242633 Thomas Lüdi 19 13 20 24† 22 22 26† 24 22 24 22 22 26 24 25257PosDriverR1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3PtsABU1DUB1DUB2DUB3ABU2
Teams' Championship Ahead of each event, the teams nominated two drivers that accumulate teams' points. PosTeamPts1 Mumbai Falcons India Racing3482 Hitech Grand Prix2643 Pinnacle Motorsport2094 Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema1935 3Y by R-ace GP1286 Evans GP1187 BlackArts Racing308 Evans GP Academy8
Notes
References
External links