Gabriele Mini Leads Formula Regional Asian Championship After Thrilling Yas Marina Season-opener 24.01.2022: • Sebastian Montoya, Gabriel Bortoleto and Gabriele Minì take a win apiece at triple-header season-opener • Victory and a podium give Minì three-point lead over Arthur Leclerc in Driver Classification • Hitech GP leads Team standings with 20-p

•    Sebastian Montoya, Gabriel Bortoleto and Gabriele Minì take a win apiece at triple-header season-opener


•    Victory and a podium give Minì three-point lead over Arthur Leclerc in Driver Classification


•    Hitech GP leads Team standings with 20-point advantage


•    Impressive young field rises to challenge of Yas Marina Circuit across three action-packed races



The 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship (FRAC) Certified by FIA got off to a blistering start at the newly-reconfigured Yas Marina F1 circuit in Abu Dhabi this weekend, with three different drivers each taking a win apiece for three separate teams across a trio of exhilarating 30-minute races.



Mumbai Falcons India Racing Team’s Sebastian Montoya, son of F1 Grand Prix and Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo, took victory in Race 1 from pole ahead of Gabriel Minì and team mate Arthur Leclerc, the 16-year-old Colombian Rookie making an early mark on the 2022 season.



Race 2 saw 17-year-old Gabriel Bortoleto of 3Y by R-ace GP claim the win, also from pole courtesy of the new top 10 reversed grid championship regulation. Behind the Brazilian was team mate Lorenzo Fluxá of Spain, with Leclerc taking his second podium in as many races. Hitech Grand Prix’s Minì won the restarted Race 3, the Italian maintaining his pole position advantage to the flag from Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema’s Jak Crawford and Hitech GP’s Isack Hadjar.



After three of 15 races, Minì tops the Driver Classification with a three-point lead over Leclerc with Montoya in third and top of the Rookie Cup standings. Said points leader Minì after his Race 3 victory: “It was a nice race. It was finally a good win. I feel really confident with the team. I feel we are pretty strong, so we will see what we can do!”



Hitech GP leads the Team Classification with a 20-point lead over Mumbai Falcons India Racing, with 3Y R-ace GP in third. BlackArts Racing’s Thomas Luedi, meanwhile, tops the Master Cup leaderboard, eight points ahead of Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema’s Khaled Al Qubaisi.



The championship now moves to the Dubai Autodrome, with the first of three rounds from January 28-30, and held on the 5.39km track configuration. The weekend will feature two, hour-long tests, a free practice, two qualifying sessions and three more 30-minute races.



Nikki Kemp, photos FRAC