PREMA Racing is ready to begin writing another chapter of a successful history this weekend at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The 4.7-kilometre Spanish venue, home to the Grand Prix of Spain, is hosting the opening round of the 2021 FIA Formula 3 Championship.
The team will field a solid three-driver lineup featuring Dennis Hauger, Arthur Leclerc and Olli Caldwell. The 18-year-old Norweigian, a Red Bull Junior driver, joined PREMA for his second year in the series. On the other hand, the British racer, also 18, will return to PREMA from his Formula 4 and Formula Regional days. Rookie Leclerc is moving up through the team's ranks, having competed in Formula Regional in 2020. The 19-year-old Monegasque will also benefit from support from the Ferrari Driver Academy program.
Now running on different venues than the FIA Formula 2 Championship, the series will feature three races per weekend. Two sprint races will be held on Saturday, with the feature race to be held on Sunday right before Formula 1. The grid for the feature race will be determined by the qualifying results, which will also be used for the first sprint race, only with the top-10 drivers starting in reverse positions. As in the past, the start of race 2 will be set by a top-10 reversed grid from race 1.
René Rosin - Team Principal
"With the amount of success that PREMA achieved in Formula 3 racing through the years, entering a new season always brings good memories but also many responsibilities. Everybody expects us to be among the leading contenders and we definitely worked in that direction over the winter. We have a solid line-up featuring two second-year drivers and a up-and-coming rookie, so we are confident about our potential for the year ahead."
Weekend Timetable
Friday, May 7th, 2021
10:05 - Free Practice
13:35 - Qualifying
Saturday, May 8th, 2021
10:35 - Race 1
16:45 - Race 2
Sunday, May 9th, 2021
12:05 - Race