Asian Formula 3 preview: Joey Alders versus Jack Doohan in the fledgling winter series
The F3 Asian Championship Certified by FIA heads to Buriram, Thailand, this weekend, to determine a series winner after it’s hard-fought five-round debut as a winter series.
Dutchman Joey Alders has lead the series all season, but Aussie Jack Doohan has held his own, sticking with the leader and reducing his lead to just 15 points with a clean sweep in Sepang. Russian Nikita Mazepin, with his consistent results at the head of the varied midfield, also remains in championship contention, with a 51 point deficit and 75 points on offer this weekend.
| Joey Alders | Jack Doohan | Nikita Mazepin | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 215 | 200 | 164 |
| Wins | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Podiums | 9 | 9 | 4 |
| Pole | 0 | 4 | 0 |
The three-way battle will be on for the top spot, and with the momentum currently swinging Jack Doohan’s way after his three-peat in Sepang, the racing is sure to be fierce. The records show that, at least at the front of the pack, this season has been incredibly close.
The rest of the field has been a mixed bag, which is surprising, considering what is on offer. The F3 Asian Championship offers an incredible number of FIA Super License points: 18 for the victor, then 14, 12, 10… all the way down to 1 point for ninth place. For example, Spaniard Sebastián Fernández is currently fifth in the championship, despite only taking part in two out of the four rounds so far this season.
It’s clear that the F3 Asian Championship has struggled to find its feet, with European hopefuls still flocking to New Zealand’s Toyota Racing Series, despite far less Super License points on offer. But it’s also clear that the F3 Asian Championship has the potential to become a competitive winter series. 2019 winner Ukyo Sasahara has graduated to a full time Super GT drive, and regular Daniel Cao is now a Formula E development driver.
Joey Alders celebrates one of his four race victories.
The results this weekend could see the series reap a valuable boost in notoriety. Alders and Doohan have been the clear front-runners, and Alders will fight hard to keep his championship hopes alive this weekend. It’s unclear where the Asian Formula Renault Champion will be racing next, and with European grids quickly filling up, Alders needs the title on his CV to attract the attention of bigger teams.
Aussie Jack Doohan celebrates on the F3 Asian Championship podium.
Jack Doohan, a Red Bull junior driver, is already committed for 2020, having secured an FIA Formula 3 seat with HWA Racelab. That doesn’t mean that this year’s F3 Asian Championship is anything but personal for the 17 year-old Australian. Not only has he scored more race wins than his Dutch competitor, but he was the series Vice-Champion last year, denied the title in a tense battle with teammate Ukyo Sasahara when plagued by technical gremlins.
An Alders victory could see the series propelled into the limelight as a crutch to further the Dutch driver’s career, and a Doohan victory would earn series-long name-recognition as part of the FIA Formula 3 broadcast.
Nikita Mazepin in a series-high second-place.
Either way, both drivers have bested current FIA Formula 2 driver Nikita Mazepin. The Russian driver, despite entries in GP3 and Formula 2, has not found success in this feeder series. His consistency has earned him the “best of the rest” status, which will guarantee him valuable Super License points, but its hard to see what else he will take away from this foray into Asia.
A recent standout has been W Series champion Jamie Chadwick, who has proved her own against the three title contenders in the later rounds, with two podium positions, and her provisional victory sadly taken away due to a disqualification.
The F3 Asian Championship is a promising regional category, setting the standard for “Regional F3”. If you have any investment in motorsports, you have to hope that it continues and can draw more high-profile talent in future. With the closure of Australian Formula 4, and disappearance of the F4 Asia-Pacific Cup, we must hope that F3 Asia is on a steep learning curve and taking important lessons into the 2020-21 season to maintain a consistent path for open-wheel beginners in the region.
Promoters Top Speed have a vital year ahead, to show that the change to a winter calendar was worth it, and that the entire FIA pyramid to Formula 1 is actually built on a competitive foundation.
