Two rookies topped the times at the end of the first day of FIA Formula 3 Championship testing at the Bahrain International Circuit on Wednesday.
Zane Maloney (Trident) and William Alatalo (Jenzer Motorsport) set the fastest times over the two sessions, ahead of Jak Crawford who moves from Hitech GP to Prema Racing for 2022.
The afternoon session brought quicker times in Sakhir, with the top six moving into the 1:47s after FIA Formula 2 testing rubbered the track in further.
The starting grid for the first round in Bahrain (18-20 March) should feature 30 drivers, but Day 1 of testing took place without Juan Manuel Correa, the American ironically sitting out the first on-track action of the year after an inconclusive COVID-19 test.
Drivers were slow to set representative times in the morning, as the field, including 15 first-year drivers, got accustomed to a circuit many of them will never have visited before.
The Bahrain International Circuit is new on the F3 calendar, but quick times came first through Reece Ushijima (Van Amersfoort Racing), Isack Hadjar and Kaylen Frederick (Hitech).
Most of the movement happened in the midfield for the majority of the morning session, with Formula Regional Asian champion Arthur Leclerc (Prema) going top with a 1:48.005 in the final half-hour, ahead of Zane Maloney and Ushijima.
The morning was truncated by Carlin‘s Enzo Trulli suffering engine difficulties towards the end of the session, which meant the top ten after the first few hours of testing read: Leclerc, Maloney, Ushijima, Hadjar, Frederick, Alex Smolyar, William Alatalo, Franco Colapinto, Oliver Bearman and Roman Stanek.
AFTERNOON
Cooler temperatures in the afternoon brought lap times down into the 1:47s as half the field got to grips with new machinery.
Caio Collet was fastest in the opening exchanges, ahead of Ayrton Simmons for Charouz Racing System, before Gregoire Saucy (ART Grand Prix), Francesco Pizzi (Charouz) and Jak Crawford replaced them at the top.
Zane Maloney smashed into the 1:47s with a 1:47.614 in the final half-hour, the Barbadian driver ending the session on top, ahead of Alatalo and Crawford.
FIA F3 testing continues at 9am local time on Thursday, with the afternoon session starting at 2:30pm, identical to Friday’s.
FIA Formula 3 pre-season testing – Bahrain International Circuit Day 1 AM
| Pos. | No. | Name | Nat. | Team | Time/Gap | Laps |
| 1 | 4 | Arthur Leclerc | MON | Prema Racing | 1:48.005 | 10 |
| 2 | 3 | Zane Maloney | BAR | Trident | +0.013s | 8 |
| 3 | 31 | Reece Ushijima | JPN | Van Amersfoort Racing | +0.030s | 16 |
| 4 | 18 | Isack Hadjar | FRA | Hitech GP | +0.084s | 12 |
| 5 | 17 | Kaylen Frederick | USA | Hitech GP | +0.123s | 14 |
| 6 | 11 | Alexander Smolyar | FIA | MP Motorsport | +0.139s | 22 |
| 7 | 25 | William Alatalo | FIN | Jenzer Motorsport | +0.179s | 17 |
| 8 | 29 | Franco Colapinto | ARG | Van Amersfoort Racing | +0.179s | 9 |
| 9 | 6 | Oliver Bearman | GBR | Prema Racing | +0.313s | 12 |
| 10 | 2 | Roman Stanek | CZE | Trident | +0.510s | 11 |
| 11 | 1 | Jonny Edgar | GBR | Prema Racing | +0.593s | 8 |
| 12 | 7 | Victor Martins | FRA | ART Grand Prix | +0.759s | 15 |
| 13 | 12 | Kush Maini | IND | MP Motorsport | +0.804s | 25 |
| 14 | 24 | Patrik Pasma | FIN | Jenzer Motorsport | +0.819s | 20 |
| 15 | 16 | Francesco Pizzi | ITA | Charouz Racing System | +0.838s | 7 |
| 16 | 23 | Ido Cohen | ISR | Jenzer Motorsport | +0.873s | 19 |
| 17 | 8 | Gregoire Saucy | FRA | ART Grand Prix | +0.898s | 15 |
| 18 | 21 | Hunter Yeany | USA | Campos Racing | +0.938s | 14 |
| 19 | 26 | Zak O’Sullivan | GBR | Carlin | +0.946s | 16 |
| 20 | 10 | Caio Collet | BRA | MP Motorsport | +1.031s | 25 |
| 21 | 28 | Enzo Trulli | ITA | Carlin | +1.069s | 16 |
| 22 | 5 | Jak Crawford | USA | Prema Racing | +1.110s | 11 |
| 23 | 15 | Ayrton Simmons | GBR | Charouz Racing System | +1.113s | 20 |
| 24 | 30 | Rafael Villagomez | MEX | Van Amersfoort Racing | +1.212s | 16 |
| 25 | 27 | Brad Benavides | USA | Carlin | +1.425s | 16 |
| 26 | 22 | Josep Maria Marti | SPA | Campos Racing | +1.468s | 12 |
| 27 | 20 | David Vidales | SPA | Campos Racing | +1.750s | 13 |
| 28 | 19 | Nazim Azman | MAL | Hitech GP | +1.923s | 14 |
| 29 | 14 | Laszlo Toth | HUN | Charouz Racing System | +2.061s | 7 |
FIA Formula 3 pre-season testing – Bahrain International Circuit Day 1 PM
| Pos. | No. | Name | Nat. | Team | Time | Laps |
| 1 | 3 | Zane Maloney | BAR | Trident | 1:47.614 | 23 |
| 2 | 25 | William Alatalo | FIN | Jenzer Motorsport | +0.169s | 24 |
| 3 | 5 | Jak Crawford | USA | Prema Racing | +0.185s | 34 |
| 4 | 2 | Roman Stanek | CZE | Trident | +0.240s | 21 |
| 5 | 29 | Franco Colapinto | ARG | Van Amersfoort Racing | +0.329s | 29 |
| 6 | 7 | Victor Martins | FRA | ART Grand Prix | +0.378s | 29 |
| 7 | 6 | Oliver Bearman | GBR | Prema Racing | +0.437s | 35 |
| 8 | 4 | Arthur Leclerc | MON | Prema Racing | +0.457s | 34 |
| 9 | 8 | Gregoire Saucy | FRA | ART Grand Prix | +0.471s | 35 |
| 10 | 16 | Francesco Pizzi | ITA | Charouz Racing System | +0.544s | 31 |
| 11 | 1 | Jonny Edgar | GBR | Trident | +0.681s | 21 |
| 12 | 18 | Isack Hadjar | FRA | Hitech GP | +0.910s | 22 |
| 13 | 22 | Josep Maria Marti | SPA | Campos Racing | +0.918s | 31 |
| 14 | 24 | Patrik Pasma | FIN | Jenzer Motorsport | +0.960s | 27 |
| 15 | 11 | Alexander Smolyar | FIA | MP Motorsport | +1.108s | 34 |
| 16 | 26 | Zak O’Sullivan | GBR | Carlin | +1.269s | 28 |
| 17 | 15 | Ayrton Simmons | GBR | Charouz Racing System | +1.305s | 26 |
| 18 | 10 | Caio Collet | BRA | MP Motorsport | +1.334s | 38 |
| 19 | 12 | Kush Maini | IND | MP Motorsport | +1.445s | 35 |
| 20 | 31 | Reece Ushijima | JPN | Van Amersfoort Racing | +1.499s | 34 |
| 21 | 14 | Laszlo Toth | HUN | Charouz Racing System | +1.515s | 24 |
| 22 | 17 | Kaylen Frederick | USA | Hitech GP | +1.521s | 24 |
| 23 | 27 | Brad Benavides | USA | Carlin | +1.598s | 25 |
| 24 | 20 | David Vidales | SPA | Campos Racing | +1.693s | 24 |
| 25 | 21 | Hunter Yeany | USA | Campos Racing | +1.712s | 26 |
| 26 | 30 | Rafael Villagomez | MEX | Van Amersfoort Racing | +2.148s | 29 |
| 27 | 19 | Nazim Azman | MAL | Hitech GP | +2.262s | 22 |
| 28 | 23 | Ido Cohen | ISR | Jenzer Motorsport | +21.715s | 2 |