Formula Regional Asian Championship Dubai Race 1 review - results 06.02.2022: Formula Regional Asian Championship Dubai Autodrome Sunday, February 6th 2022 Full results download here

Formula Regional Asian Championship
Dubai Autodrome
Sunday, February 6th  2022

Full results download here






All eyes were on sensational Rookie and pole-sitter Sebastian Montoya as the lights went out, but the Colombian made a tardy getaway which allowed Isack Hadjar, who had rocketed away from P2, to pull alongside.



Heading into Turn 1 though, the Montoya pulled a gutsy move around the outside to retain his pole advantage. Hadjar tried to fight back but Montoya managed to shake clear of the tenacious Red Bull Junior driver to pull almost half a second lead by the end of the opening lap.



Jak Crawford also made a disastrous start, losing his P3 grid position and dropping right down the order. By contrast, Rookie Leonardo Fornaroli inherited third in the order which he doggedly held on to despite the thunderous quartet of Dino Beganovic, Paul Aron, Arthur Leclerc and Pepe Marti behind.



There was disappointment early on when both Hadjar and Fornaroli were each handed a five second time penalty for a grid box regulation infringement. Despite running at the front of the field on the road, the penalties were to deny them podiums, points and silverware.



Mid-way through the race, drama struck when the engine of championship newcomer Francesco Braschi blew, bringing out the red flag and seeing the field file into pit lane. At the restart behind the safety car, Montoya expertly controlled the pack and, this time, made a blinding getaway. Leclerc was a man on the move from six though, diving past Aron, with Marti also finding his way around the Estonian and demoting him seventh ahead of Dilano van’t Hoff and Lorenzo Fluxá.



Pierre Louis Chovet had been running in tenth – provisional pole position in the top ten-reversed grid Race 2 – but both he and Michael Belov got past Fluxá, demoting the Spaniard to 11th and the Russian snatching pole for the first of Sunday’s races in just his second career outing on the Dubai Autodrome.



The final seconds of the race saw BlackArts Racing’s Masters Cup driver Thomas Luedi lock wheels while battling with class rival Salih Yoluç and hit the barrier, but emerge unhurt.



Meanwhile, Montoya sailed across the line to take his second overall victory and third Rookie Cup win. Leclerc took second, extending his lead at the top of the Driver championship standings, ahead of team mate Beganovic who completed a dream 1-2-3 podium lockout for the Mumbai Falcons. Fourth overall and second Rookie was Marti, with van’t Hoff third of the Rookie Cup runners in seventh overall.



The disconsolate duo of Hadjar and Fornaroli were second and third on the road but, after the penalties were applied, the Frenchman was classified fifth and the Italian ninth, promoting Chovet to eighth.



Abu Dhabi Racing by Prema’s Khaled Al Qubaisi took his sixth Masters Cup win in seven races ahead of Yoluç and Luedi.






 Nikki Kemp-  photo FRAC