Trident straight to the podium with Fornaroli at the desert track
The FIA Formula 3 Championship is back on one of its most classic events at Bahrain International Circuit, traditionally home to the preseason tests and the opening round of the championship. In the first qualifying of the year, the Trident Motorsport drivers performed well, taking P4 with Sami Meguetounif, P5 with Santiago Ramos, and P6 with Leonardo Fornaroli. The driver from Piacenza was a major contender for pole but was hampered by small mistakes during the final lap.
The Italian's performance level was extremely convincing and duly emerged in the Sprint Race. Fornaroli started from seventh place on the grid and quickly gained positions with good passes in the opening laps. Then he set his sights on the podium, which was accomplished in the final laps. Thanks to the third place with Fornaroli, Trident Motorsport achieved its first podium of the season right off the gates.
At the start, Ramos was rear-ended by another driver and forced to spin. Starting from last, the Mexican was forced to race at the back but still put together convincing overtaking maneuvers. Meguetounif's race was linear and entirely within the top ten. The French driver kept a solid race pace and achieved his first point of the season with P10. The Trident Motorsport drivers will analyze data collected today with the team’s technical staff, in the usual preparation work for the Feature Race, scheduled for tomorrow at 12 local time, GMT+3, which will wrap up the FIA Formula 3 Championship event at the desert circuit.
Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager, Sprint Race quote: “We are quite satisfied with today's Sprint Race performance, as we achieved our first podium of the season. Fornaroli recovered well from seventh place on the grid to reach the podium, without making the slightest mistake. Ramos, on the other hand, was rear-ended at the start and pushed into a spin. He was unable to go beyond P21. Meguetounif got a P10, making it to the points zone on his series debut. Using the data collected today, we will now focus on tomorrow's Feature Race, aiming to return from Bahrain with another competitive performance."