NEWS

F3 AC announces plans for condensed UAE-based 2021 calendar

 

· Proposed calendar sees five back-to-back rounds in Abu Dhabi and Dubai commencing January 23

 

· Compact schedule designed to minimise travel and quarantining in face of worldwide restrictions

 

· Organizers currently canvassing teams on proposed format

 

The F3 Asian Championship certified by FIA has unveiled a proposed 2021 calendar which would see five back-to-back races run at the Dubai Autodrome and the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. The season would commence on January 23, and conclude on February 20.
 

 

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The proposed schedule has been designed to enable drivers and teams to base themselves in the UAE for a five-week period during which 15 races would be run over five rounds on the two FIA Grade 1circuits. Utilizing a second configuration of the Yas Marina Circuit would qualify the top nine championship finishers to earn FIA Super Licence points.

 

Commented Davide De Gobbi, General Manager of Top Speed: “Under the prevailing restrictions on travel and quarantine requirements brought about by the pandemic, we believe a condensed, Middle East-based season could be an attractive proposition for teams and drivers. The mid-January starts offers the potential for teams to ship their cars to the UAE, while open entry to and travel between Abu Dhabi and Dubai negates the need to quarantine during the season.”

 

The championship is currently canvassing teams on the proposed calendar, and the FIA has offered no objection to the format given the impact on motorsport worldwide brought by the pandemic.

The F3 Asian Championship certified by FIA was launched in 2018, and was an immediate success, attracting a top-quality international field of drivers and teams. Briton Raoul Hyman was the inaugural champion, while Japan’s Ukyo Sasahara, who made his Super Formula debut at Motegi last month, won the title in 2019.
 
The reigning champion is talented young dutchman Joey Alders, who took the title with Zhuhai-based team BlackArts Racing, breaking the two-season winning streak of Britain’s Hitech Grand Prix. Alders beat the likes of current Formula 2 front-runner Nikita Mazepin, RedBull Junior Jack Doohan, W Series champion Jamie Chadwick, and Haas F1 Team reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi to take the crown.