Pinnacle Motorsport is set to go back racing this weekend as the F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA finally gets its 2021 series underway after a 10 month hiatus due to the pandemic. The Motorsport Ireland-licensed team will take on the new season with a strong four-car lineup and make a bid for the title with Alexandre Bardinon, Pierre-Louis Chovet, Alessio Deledda, and Matthias Luethen.
Alexandre Bardinon was the team’s first confirmed driver for the upcoming championship in December fresh off a year competing in the Euroformula Open Championship where he scored a best 8th place finish. The 18-year-old is then joined by fellow Frenchman Pierre-Louis Chovet at Pinnacle Motorsport. Chovet enjoyed a productive season in the Formula Regional European Championship after securing a race win and 5th in the standings during his rookie year. He also made two appearances in FIA Formula 3 and delivered a 6th place finish in only his second race weekend.
Meanwhile, Alessio Deledda returns for another year in the F3 Asian Championship after making his series debut in 2019. The Italian was a full time entry in the 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship and is poised to move up to FIA Formula 2 later this year. Completing the team’s line up is Matthias Luethen from Germany. Impressively, he only stepped up to single-seaters 16 months ago through the Formula Renault Eurocup followed by Euroformula Open a year later.
Due to travel restrictions, all five rounds in the 2021 F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA will be held in the UAE in a condensed calendar that spans over four weekends. The much-awaited season gets underway this January 29-30 at the Dubai Autodrome with Qualifying and Race 1 scheduled on Friday, while Race 2 and Race 3 takes place on Saturday.
2021 F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA Calendar
Round 1 | January 29-30 (Dubai Autodrome, UAE)
Round 2 | February 4-5 (Yas Marina Circuit, UAE)
Round 3 | February 6-7 (Yas Marina Circuit, UAE)
Round 4 | February 12-14 (Dubai Autodrome, UAE)
Round 5 | February 19-20 (Yas Marina Circuit, UAE)
Alexandre Bardinon: “I’m really happy to take part in the 2021 F3 Asian Championship with a professional team as Pinnacle Motorsport. It’s a great opportunity to discover international F1 tracks such as Dubai and Yas Marina. Really looking forward to start the championship.”
Pierre-Louis Chovet: “Really excited to join Pinnacle Motorsport for the F3 Asian Championship! They’ve been really successful the past years and they are for sure the best environment to discover this Asian F3 Champ’ and these two new tracks for me. I’m already looking forward to working with the team on-site and fight for top results.”
Alessio Deledda: “I’m so excited to race F3 Asia. In this championship certified by FIA there are many high level drivers with whom to challenge myself and it will also be useful to improve my skills for the upcoming competitions such as F2. The team has already shown last year that they have the potential to do very well so I’m very positive.”
Matthias Luethen: “I’m really looking forward to attend my first ever championship. The last 16 months since my first step into the very competitive environment of professional motorsport were incredible intense. After a very successful winter testing program in November and December I’m very excited to begin the next chapter of this journey with Pinnacle Motorsport and I want to thank the whole team for having me and for such a warm welcome!”
John O’Hara, Team Director: “We’re really happy to be back racing after such a long break. We have a strong line up and we’re positive going into the series. I’d like to welcome all four drivers and look forward to a strong season.”
Accompanying Pinnacle Motorsport on their F3 Asian Championship campaign are partners Teng Tools and Motorsport Ireland.
Organized by Top Speed, F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA is a new single-spec F3 championship designed to provide a stepping stone for regional drivers into Formula 2 and ultimately Formula 1. It focuses on performance, safety, and cost control for up-and-coming talent in the world’s most dynamic region.