2023 Formula Regional Middle East Championship

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The 2023 Formula Regional Middle East Championship was a multi-event, Formula Regional open-wheel single seater motor racing championship. The championship featured a mix of professional and amateur drivers, competing in Formula Regional cars. It was the inaugural season of the championship, using the venues and dates for what was originally planned to be the Formula Regional Asian Championship, with the Asian Championship then being relaunched in October of the same year. [1]

Contents

The season was held in January and February of 2023. Andrea Kimi Antonelli won the drivers' championship in the penultimate race, and in doing so also became rookie cup winner. His team, Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited, won the teams' title.

Teams and drivers

All drivers competed using identical Tatuus-built Formula Regional cars powered by a 270HP turbocharged Alfa Romeo engine. [2] The participating teams were announced on 15 November 2022. [3]

TeamNo.DriverStatusRounds
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg R&B Racing [N 1]
R&B Racing by GRS [N 1]
2 Flag of Italy.svg Giovanni Maschio [4] RAll
18 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Cenyu Han [4] All
22 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Zhongwei Wang [4] 1–3
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Ruobin Tang [5] R5
33 Flag of Bulgaria.svg Nikola Tsolov [6] R5
Flag of Germany.svg PHM Racing 5 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Taylor Barnard [7] RAll
13 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Joshua Dufek [8] All
15 Flag of Italy.svg Nikita Bedrin [N 2] [9] RAll
Flag of India.svg Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited 7 Flag of Spain.svg Lorenzo Fluxá [10] All
8 Flag of Brazil.svg Rafael Câmara [10] RAll
10 Flag of Sweden.svg Dino Beganovic [10] 1–2
12 Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli [11] [10] RAll
28 White flag of surrender.svg Kirill Smal [N 2] [10] R3–5
Flag of France.svg R-ace GP 11 Flag of Hungary.svg Levente Révész [12] All
34 Flag of Italy.svg Francesco Braschi [12] 1–2
Flag of Norway.svg Martinius Stenshorne [12] R3–5
47 Flag of Singapore.svg Nikhil Bohra [lower-alpha 1] [12] RAll
77 Flag of Germany.svg Tim Tramnitz [12] 4–5
88 Flag of Peru.svg Matías Zagazeta [12] 1–3
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Pinnacle VAR [13] 14 Flag of Thailand.svg Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak [13] RAll
23 Flag of Spain.svg Pepe Martí [13] 1–2, 4–5
38 Flag of Mexico.svg Rafael Villagómez [13] 1–4
50 Flag of Japan.svg Ayato Iwasaki [14] 3
68 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Niels Koolen [13] All
Flag of Italy.svg Prema Racing 24 Flag of South Korea.svg Michael Shin [15] RAll
57 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Aiden Neate [10] RAll
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Hitech Grand Prix 52 Flag of the United States.svg Jak Crawford [16] 1
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Luke Browning [17] 2–3
53 Flag of Italy.svg Gabriele Minì [16] 1–2
54 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Daniel Mavlyutov [lower-alpha 2] [16] RAll
55 Flag of Colombia.svg Sebastián Montoya [16] All
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Hyderabad Blackbirds by MP Motorsport [18] 60 Flag of Spain.svg Mari Boya [19] All
61 Flag of France.svg Sami Meguetounif [19] All
62 Flag of the United States.svg Brad Benavides [19] All
63 Flag of Denmark.svg Sebastian Øgaard [19] R1, 4
Flag of Paraguay.svg Joshua Dürksen [17] 2–3
Flag of France.svg Owen Tangavelou [20] 5
IconStatus
RRookie

Race calendar

The 2023 calendar was first announced on 4 August 2022, back when the season still was to be the second season of the Formula Regional Asian Championship. [23] With the creation of the new Middle Eastern championship, an updated calendar was also announced, replacing the first round in Abu Dhabi with another round at Kuwait Motor Town. [1]

RoundCircuitDateSupport billMap of circuit locations
1R1 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Dubai Autodrome, Dubai Motor City 13 January 24H GT Series (Middle East Trophy)
24H TCE Series (Middle East Trophy)
Formula 4 UAE Championship
Renault Clio Cup Middle East
R214 January
R3
2R4 Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait Motor Town, Ali Sabah Al Salem27 January Formula 4 UAE Championship
R528 January
R6
3R7 Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait Motor Town, Ali Sabah Al Salem31 January Formula 4 UAE Championship
R81 February
R9
4R10 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Dubai Autodrome, Dubai Motor City 11 February Asian Le Mans Series
Formula 4 UAE Championship
R1112 February
R12
5R13 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Island 18 February Asian Le Mans Series
Formula 4 UAE Championship
R1419 February
R15

Results

RoundCircuitPole positionFastest lapWinning driverWinning teamRookie winner
1R1 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Dubai Autodrome Flag of Italy.svg Gabriele Minì Flag of Sweden.svg Dino Beganovic Flag of Sweden.svg Dino Beganovic Flag of India.svg Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Taylor Barnard
R2 Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli Flag of Singapore.svg Nikhil Bohra Flag of France.svg R-ace GP Flag of Singapore.svg Nikhil Bohra
R3 Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli Flag of Spain.svg Mari Boya Flag of Spain.svg Mari Boya Flag of the Netherlands.svg Hyderabad Blackbirds by MP Motorsport Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli
2R4 Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait Motor Town Flag of Paraguay.svg Joshua Dürksen Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli Flag of Sweden.svg Dino Beganovic Flag of India.svg Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli
R5 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Joshua Dufek Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Taylor Barnard [lower-alpha 3] Flag of Germany.svg PHM Racing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Taylor Barnard
R6 Flag of France.svg Sami Meguetounif Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Joshua Dufek Flag of France.svg Sami Meguetounif Flag of the Netherlands.svg Hyderabad Blackbirds by MP Motorsport Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli
3R7 Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait Motor Town Flag of Paraguay.svg Joshua Dürksen Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Taylor Barnard Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli Flag of India.svg Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli
R8 Flag of Singapore.svg Nikhil Bohra Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli Flag of India.svg Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli
R9 Flag of France.svg Sami Meguetounif Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Taylor Barnard Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Taylor Barnard Flag of Germany.svg PHM Racing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Taylor Barnard
4R10 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Dubai Autodrome Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli Flag of India.svg Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli
R11 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Taylor Barnard Flag of Spain.svg Pepe Martí Flag of the Netherlands.svg Pinnacle VAR Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Taylor Barnard
R12 Flag of Italy.svg Nikita Bedrin Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Joshua Dufek Flag of Italy.svg Nikita Bedrin Flag of Germany.svg PHM Racing Flag of Italy.svg Nikita Bedrin
5R13 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Yas Marina Circuit Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli Flag of Spain.svg Mari Boya Flag of Spain.svg Mari Boya [lower-alpha 4] Flag of the Netherlands.svg Hyderabad Blackbirds by MP Motorsport Flag of Brazil.svg Rafael Câmara
R14 Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli Flag of Spain.svg Pepe Martí Flag of the Netherlands.svg Pinnacle VAR Flag of South Korea.svg Michael Shin
R15 Flag of Italy.svg Nikita Bedrin Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli Flag of Italy.svg Nikita Bedrin Flag of Germany.svg PHM Racing Flag of Italy.svg Nikita Bedrin

Season report

First half

The first ever Formula Regional Middle East Championship began in the middle of January at Dubai Autodrome with Gabriele Minì and Andrea Kimi Antonelli sharing poles in qualifying. Minì kept his lead at the start of race one as Antonelli in second was overtaken by Dino Beganovic. The top pair fought for the lead all throughout the race, unbothered by two safety car interventions. A timing glitch meant the "last lap" message was shown one lap too early, and Minì's team relayed that wrong information to him. He kept Beganovic behind as the pair crossed the line, but then slowed in anticipation of the race being over. This dropped him out of contention, promoting Matías Zagazeta to second. Third was Taylor Barnard, who had a remarkable race after starting in 27th. Race two was a much calmer affair, as Nikhil Bohra took a lights-to-flag victory starting from reverse-grid pole. Aiden Neate also finished where he started, in second, and Barnard was once again third, though this time he only had to climb five spots to do so. Antonelli was unable to hold on to his race three pole position, as Mari Boya went right past him on lap one. From then on, he built a gap to Antonelli and controlled the race. The race went ahead without interruptions, and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak completed the podium. Antonelli's consistency allowed him to take the points lead by six points over Rafael Câmara. [25] [26] [27]

Up next was the first FR-level race at Kuwait Motor Town, and new arrival Joshua Dürksen started it on pole. The first corner ended with multiple crashes, Brad Benavides getting flipped on his head and riding atop Boya's car, eight retirements with the poleman among them, and a red flag. Beganovic was able to profit off of the chaos, leading the restart in first place and continuing to lead Antonelli home. Behind the pair, Barnard got past Sebastián Montoya to complete the podium. Levente Révész started race two at the front, but was unable to keep his position and soon dropped back. What followed were multiple lead changes, with Rafael Villagómez, Bohra and eventually Joshua Dufek all in the lead for some time. Dufek was able to hold on in the end, but got disqualified for a technical infringement. This promoted Barnard to the win, ahead of Bohra and Câmara. The final race had Sami Meguetounif on pole, who held off a fast-starting Dürksen at the start. Two safety car periods later, Antonelli overtook Dürksen and set off after Meguetounif, but ran out of laps to catch him. While Antonelli still had not won a race, he grew his championship lead anyway, now twelve points ahead of double-winner Beganovic. [28] [29] [30]

Just three days later, racing was back on in Kuwait, and qualifying was topped by the same two drivers. Race one began with the top three drivers, all Hyderabad Blackbirds, tripping over each other into the first braking zone. This meant Dürksen lost his second pole and also allowed Antonelli through into second place, before he eventually got past Boya for the lead. He kept him behind until the Spaniard got overtaken by Câmara, and took his first win in the category. Debutant Kirill Smal started race two at the front and had to content with Dufek and Barnard, before the latter then got into the lead and built a gap. This was not to last, however, as his car then started breaking down and he fell down the order. Smal was back in the lead, but Antonelli, who had started tenth and steadily climbed up the order, made short work of his lead, overtook him and claimed another win. Smal then received a penalty, allowing Villagómez and Lorenzo Fluxá to pick up podiums. At the start of race three, Antonelli again picked up the lead, but the move was made off track, so he sped off to build a gap in anticipation of a penalty. That used up too much of his tires too soon, however, and by the end of the race he fell back into the clutches of Barnard, who overtook him to claim the win. The penalty still came for Antonelli, dropping him back behind Câmara and Fluxá. However, his double win meant he now had a 44-point lead over his nearest challenger Barnard. [31] [32] [33]

Second half

The penultimate round of the season was held back in Dubai, where Antonelli and Nikita Bedrin shared poles. The former dropped down to third at the start of the first race, but was able to fight back past Barnard and Dufek into the lead through a safety car restart. His teammate Câmara followed him through, before another safety car ended the racing early. Pepe Martí was on reverse grid pole and held onto the lead as Fluxá got past Neate for second. Barnard and Antonelli, starting eighth and tenth, were soon climbing up the order. They ended up inside the top five, before Bedrin in fourth rear-ended Neate in third and both tumbled down the order. This promoted the championship protagonists to third and fourth, before Antonelli was handed a penalty for an unsafe move that dropped him to tenth. Bedrin bounced back from this incident by defending his pole position at the start of race three, while behind him his two teammates Barnard and Dufek battled with Antonelli. Three safety car periods interrupted proceedings, with the third running until the end, guaranteeing Barnard's maiden win in a PHM Racing 1-2-3. Still, Antonelli's advantage grew, albeit only by a single point to 45, with 75 points still to play for. [34] [35] [36]

The final round of the championship brought the series to the Yas Marina Circuit, but the polesitters were the same as in Dubai. The two title contenders started alongside each other and had a battle that ended in tears when Antonelli rear-ended Barnard, spun him around and earned himself a ten-second penalty. This promoted Boya into the virtual lead, ahead of Meguetounif and Câmara. A late safety car meant Antonelli's penalty had the maximum effect, and both him and Barnard remained pointless. Barnard needed to score points in race two to keep his title hopes alive, but had a horrible start that dropped him out of the top 20. While he worked to get back up the order, it was Michael Shin on pole that had to contend with Smal and Martí. Eventually, the latter took the lead from Shin and led the trio home. Barnard could only manage 18th place, so Antonelli took the championship despite receiving another penalty and not scoring again. Bedrin put a close to the season by winning the third race lights-to-flag, undeterred by a red-flag disruption. Behind him, multiple fights for the podium places ended in collisions, before Antonelli moved into the lead on the final lap, but had to give the place back as the move was made off track. [37] [38] [39]

The championship was dominated by category rookies, who occupied the top three places in the final standings. Antonelli showed remarkable consistency, only finishing outside the top ten when the title was already all but secured. Being already handled as a generational talent after dominating the European F4 scene in 2022, his FRMEC campaign was the best possible preparation for the FRECA season. Barnard also quickly adapted to the car, often matching Antonelli, but his championship challenge was hampered by bad luck, like the disqualification in the first Dubai qualifying, or the mechanical failure in the penultimate Kuwait race. For the championship itself, the transition from the Asian to the Middle Eastern moniker went smoothly, and driver and team interest remained very high, with healthy, deep grids all throughout the season.

Championship standings

Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top ten classified drivers.

Position 1st  2nd  3rd  4th  5th  6th  7th  8th  9th  10th 
Points251815121086421

Drivers' Championship

PosDriver DUB1
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
KUW1
Flag of Kuwait.svg
KUW2
Flag of Kuwait.svg
DUB2
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
ABU
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
Pts
R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3
1 Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli 4622Ret2114110415132192
2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Taylor Barnard 33Ret141Ret424†133214184152
3 Flag of Brazil.svg Rafael Câmara 55418†3Ret2Ret2223163113131
4 Flag of Spain.svg Lorenzo Fluxá 8411Ret1245338254511122
5 Flag of Spain.svg Mari Boya 12131Ret1413341064611018107
6 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Joshua Dufek 615133DSQ10977463545105
7 Flag of Spain.svg Pepe Martí 1496Ret10610111611079
8 Flag of Italy.svg Nikita Bedrin Ret147Ret1987Ret155191Ret9178
9 Flag of Singapore.svg Nikhil Bohra 101108211195111813878Ret73
10 Flag of France.svg Sami Meguetounif RetRetRet174125†1251318Ret2RetRet65
11 Flag of Sweden.svg Dino Beganovic 1Ret9120562
12 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Aiden Neate 9212489816169515Ret12858
13 Flag of Mexico.svg Rafael Villagómez 17112065Ret6214Ret201344
14 Flag of South Korea.svg Michael Shin 181819511Ret18817171614102935
15 White flag of surrender.svg Kirill Smal 1020241215783732
16 Flag of Paraguay.svg Joshua Dürksen Ret732615629
17 Flag of Peru.svg Matías Zagazeta 212Ret913723Ret928
18 Flag of Norway.svg Martinius Stenshorne 1311815921†117620
19 Flag of Thailand.svg Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak 16103DNS161211921231410161420†19
20 Flag of Germany.svg Tim Tramnitz 7792124Ret14
21 Flag of Colombia.svg Sebastián Montoya 151718RetRet161261314812121621†12
22 Flag of Italy.svg Gabriele Minì 11215RetRet1910
23 Flag of Bulgaria.svg Nikola Tsolov 961510
24 Flag of Denmark.svg Sebastian Øgaard 781719171710
25 Flag of Hungary.svg Levente Révész Ret25†14106171413121612201720Ret9
26 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Luke Browning 79201514Ret8
27 Flag of Italy.svg Francesco Braschi 13716Ret15186
28 Flag of the United States.svg Jak Crawford 191684
29 Flag of the United States.svg Brad Benavides 242015RetDNSDNS1610Ret111122†1815131
30 Flag of Italy.svg Giovanni Maschio 20192411181517171824†Ret1924†Ret19†0
31 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Niels Koolen 22222112212120212222Ret182021140
32 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Daniel Mavlyutov 2323221622222219DSQ2122Ret2222120
33 Flag of France.svg Owen Tangavelou 1317Ret0
34 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Zhongwei WangDNSDNSDNS1323232422230
35 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Cenyu Han2124231517142123192021Ret1919170
36 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Ruobin Tang2323160
37 Flag of Japan.svg Ayato IwasakiRet18200
PosDriverR1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3Pts
DUB1
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
KUW1
Flag of Kuwait.svg
KUW2
Flag of Kuwait.svg
DUB2
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
ABU
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
ColourResult
GoldWinner
SilverSecond place
BronzeThird place
GreenPoints finish
BlueNon-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
PurpleRetired (Ret)
RedDid not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
BlackDisqualified (DSQ)
WhiteDid not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
BlankDid not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)

Bold – Pole

Italics – Fastest Lap

† – Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed more than 75% of the race distance.

Rookie Cup

PosDriver DUB1
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
KUW1
Flag of Kuwait.svg
KUW2
Flag of Kuwait.svg
DUB2
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
ABU
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
Pts
R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3
1 Flag of Italy.svg Andrea Kimi Antonelli 4622Ret2114110415132244
2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Taylor Barnard 33Ret141Ret424133214184190
3 Flag of Brazil.svg Rafael Câmara 55418†3Ret2Ret2223163113163
4 Flag of Singapore.svg Nikhil Bohra 101108211195111813878Ret163
5 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Aiden Neate 92124810816169515Ret128147
6 Flag of Italy.svg Nikita Bedrin Ret157Ret1997Ret155191Ret91133
7 Flag of South Korea.svg Michael Shin 181919511Ret188171716141029108
8 Flag of Thailand.svg Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak 16103DNS161211921231410161420†84
9 White flag of surrender.svg Kirill Smal 1020241215783777
10 Flag of Norway.svg Martinius Stenshorne 1311815921†117677
11 Flag of Italy.svg Giovanni Maschio 20202411181517171824†Ret1924†Ret19†36
12 Flag of Denmark.svg Sebastian Øgaard 781719171730
13 Flag of Bulgaria.svg Nikola Tsolov 961528
14 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Daniel Mavlyutov 2323221623222219DSQ2122Ret22221224
15 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Ruobin Tang2323160
PosDriverR1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3Pts
DUB1
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
KUW1
Flag of Kuwait.svg
KUW2
Flag of Kuwait.svg
DUB2
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
ABU
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg

Teams' Championship

Ahead of each event, the teams nominated two drivers that accumulated teams' points.

PosTeamPts
1 Flag of India.svg Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited 338
2 Flag of Germany.svg PHM Racing 247
3 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Hyderabad Blackbirds by MP Motorsport 136
4 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Pinnacle VAR 124
5 Flag of France.svg R-ace GP 97
6 Flag of Italy.svg Prema Racing 93
7 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Hitech Grand Prix 34
8 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg R&B Racing10

Notes

  1. 1 2 Cars No. 2, No. 18, No. 22 entered as R&B Racing, car No. 33 entered as R&B Racing by GRS.
  2. 1 2 Smal is Russian, but he competes as a neutral competitor as Russian national emblems were banned by the FIA due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Bedrin, also a Russian, competes under an Italian licence for the same reason.
  1. Bohra is an American-Indian driver competing under a Singaporean licence.
  2. Mavlyutov is a Russian-Turkish driver competing under a British licence.
  3. Joshua Dufek originally won the race, but was subsequently disqualified after his car was found not to conform with homologation requirements. [24]
  4. Andrea Kimi Antonelli originally won the race, but was given a 10 second penalty due to a collision with Taylor Barnard.

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