Hitech’s F3 trio return to Bahrain
Round 2 - Sakhir - Preview
Martinius Stenshorne, Joshua Dufek and Gerrard Xie will be back in action at Sakhir this weekend, ready to apply all the learnings from last month’s three-day test at the Bahrain International Circuit.
It has been four weeks since the season-opener, so Hitech TGR and its drivers are more than ready for Round 2 of the FIA Formula 3 Championship. Though a long campaign lies ahead, it is these early rounds where the crucial groundwork is done and the results can prove critical when the title fight reaches its peak later in the summer.
McLaren Driver Development Programme member Martinius Stenshorne made a solid dent in the Drivers’ Standings at the Melbourne opener. He claimed the team’s first podium of the season with second place in the Sprint Race at Albert Park. He followed up with an eighth place finish in the Feature Race there, bringing his Round 1 haul to 14 points and he and the team head into the Bahrain weekend sitting fifth on the scoresheet.
Joshua Dufek was all set to fight for a points-paying position on his debut with the team. After a Lap 2 incident with Louis Sharp in the Sprint Race, he was forced to pit for a new front wing and the later application of a 10-second time penalty dropped him down the order to 22nd place.
Adverse weather was the order of the day for Sunday’s Feature Race and the action got underway behind the Safety Car. Though the rain subsided, conditions remained slippery throughout, leaving little opportunity to improve through the order. Josh finished 11th, just outside the points.
Gerrard Xie enjoyed a superb debut in the category. The Rookie qualified on the 12th row, and remained cool, collected – but committed – gaining an impressive nine places in his first Sprint Race. He improved by six places in the Feature Race to finish 18th.
Both Joshua and Gerrard will be keen to home in on the points placings this weekend.
The Bahrain International Circuit has a bit of everything for the drivers. Four long straights, three of which are DRS zones, provide ample overtaking opportunities, but the track is also quite technical in parts, particularly in Sector 2.
The combination of high ambient temperatures and a very abrasive track surface tend to put a heavy emphasis on tyre management. Pirelli’s new 16” Hard compound tyre will be making its debut, which will provide a further challenge for the drivers as they get to grips with the degradation.
After using the Medium and Wet tyres in Melbourne, Sakhir will be a different experience, but one the drivers prepared well for in the recent test.
Paul Bellringer, Hitech’s F3 Team Manager, commented:
“Bahrain will be an altogether different encounter to the season-opener in Melbourne. Martinius and Joshua have plenty of experience, having raced here in previous seasons, and together with Gerrard we conducted plenty of acclimatisation work with the new car and new tyres at the test.”
He continued:
“Sakhir is always an interesting challenge, with the fierce heat and abrasive track surface, but all three drivers will take it in their stride. We made a strong start to our 2025 campaign in Round 1 and we’re eager to maintain the momentum.”
Schedule
Friday
Free Practice
10.55-11.40
Qualifying
16.00-16.30
Saturday
Sprint Race
13.15-14.00
Sunday
Feature Race
12.55-13.40
(all times are local)