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With the F3 season into its penultimate weekend, PREMA teammates Ollie Bearman, Arthur Leclerc and Jak Crawford are all still in the championship fight.
You might think that in such an intense environment, with such a bright spotlight on them each, the tension would be running high. But, in the case of PREMA Racing, at least, youβd be wrong.
At Zandvoort, FormulaNerds caught up with the PREMA trio to hear their insights on the team dynamic, and what itβs like working in such close proximity to some of their championship rivals.
Ollie Bearman shared that despite the competition, all are friends off the track and thereβs a βgood atmosphereβ within the team:
βI donβt think itβs really affected it so muchβ¦ On the track weβre competitive β weβre all competitive, we all want to win β but off the track, weβre friends, which is nice to have.β
Bearman credits this relationship for helping the team build off each other and that theyβve been βpushing each other to a new levelβ.
Heading into the weekendβs two races, Bearman is second in the standings on 105 points. Arthur Leclerc sits just a few points back on 101 in fourth. Whilst slightly further back on 80 points, Jak Crawford is still very much within the battle. After all, anything can happen in FIA Formula 3.
Teamwork makes the dream work
In addition to being PREMA teammates, Bearman and Leclerc are both part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. However, this doesnβt exclude Red Bull Junior Crawford, who says that theyβre βall teammates, part of the same team,β before adding that he doesnβt think it βchanges anythingβ for him.
FormulaNerds asked Bearman if the team are working closely together, or if they are more focused on their own areas for improvement.
βWeβre working together to try and improve the car, because thatβs what we want, and weβve done a really good job of that so far,β he replied.
βDuring the weekend itβs quite open β all the engineers and the drivers β weβre doing meetings together to try and work together. We always end up with the same set-up, so yeah, weβre working to improve each other.β
This collaborative approach has proven fruitful for the Italian team, who sit comfortably atop the Teamsβ Championship.
In addition to strong positions for both the team and the drivers in their championships, PREMA fosters an environment in which their trio can improve together. Ollie Bearman highlighted how deep the partnership goes within the team:
βIf someone does a good lap, or a good sector, even a good corner, then we can check β weβre all looking at each otherβs data.
βWeβre all at a pretty high level, so weβre pushing each other forward and learning from each other.β
To have all three drivers still in the hunt for the title, especially at this late stage of the season, is a testament to the co-operation within the team. Both off track, and onβ¦
When on track
Despite FDA links to Bearman, Arthur Leclerc confirmed that he races both Ollie and Jak in the same way. Crawford takes a similar approach, by racing βeveryone mainly the same,β even if he does try to race championship rivals βa bit harder,β which is more than fair, and completely understandable.
βYou have to take as much points as you can from every competitor,β Leclerc said of the closeness of the championship.
Bearman was in agreement with his teammates, also stating that he tries to βleave them space and be respectful.β
βThe last thing you wanna do is collide with your teammate, itβs not a good thing to doβ¦ If Iβm faster than them, weβre not gonna fight, if theyβre faster than me, weβre not gonna fight β whoever is faster is going to end up ahead.β
The PREMA trio very much give the impression of a group on the same page, which will be key for each heading into the seasonβs crescendo.
Team orders are less common in the feeder seriesβ than at the pinnacle that is F1. However, another thing the three drivers agree on, is that regardless of the championship situation, they all have to focus on their own performances and their own results.
Looking ahead
Due to all still being in the title fight, understandably, each driverβs immediate focus will be on the final two rounds.
Ollie Bearman concurred, whilst pointing out that itβs still βa bit early to say.β As the only rookie in the team, he told FormulaNerds that heβs more concerned with hitting his targets and meeting goals than when heβll be making the step to F2.
Though also 17 years old, Crawford has more F3 experience under his belt, and is hoping to make the move, even though it hasnβt been the βexact seasonβ he βwantedβ.
Their teammate, Arthur Leclerc, agreed with them, on two different fronts. When asked if he was looking to make the move to F2 next season, he said:
βOf course, itβs the goal. Itβs a bit early. Even the F2 season is finishing quite late β weβre finishing quite early. And yeah, [the] championship is not over, so I prefer to focus in Formula 3 now.β
That immediate attention will be on the two F3 races ahead of them at Zandvoort, where Bearman has qualified P14, having been caught out by an untimely red flag.
Crawford placed an impressive P3, so will start tomorrowβs reserve-grid sprint race from P10. Leclerc lines up P20 for both races, having also been unable to improve due to the red flag.
After that, the team β and the rest of the Formula 3 paddock β will make their way to Monza for the season finale and likely championship decider next weekend. Will one of the PREMA trio take the crown?
Featured Image Credit: @PREMA_Team on Twitter