Successful start to Arvid Lindblad’s Formula 3 career. The Prema Racing driver was the winner of the Sprint race in Bahrain, which took place this Friday in Sakhir.
The pole position belonged to Laurens van Hoepen (ART Grand Prix), with teammate Nikola Tsolov alongside on the grid. Both maintained their positions at the start, with Max Esterson (Jenzer) in pursuit in third. However, right after the first corner, Tsolov overtook van Hoepen for the lead.
Meanwhile, Lindblad was making progress further back, but at the front things were heating up, with Tsolov and van Hoepen battling for the lead and Esterson not far behind. Midway through the race, van Hoepen briefly regained the lead, but Tsolov reacted and quickly regained the position.
The uncertainty and balance continued, but Lindblad began to stand out: gradually climbing up the rankings until a decisive overtake on Tsolov at turn one of lap 16 to take the lead. The British driver of Indian and Swedish descent immediately began to distance himself from the competition, securing the victory with a 5.478s margin.
Behind him, the battles for the podium continued. Tsolov was unable to hold onto a top three position, being overtaken by van Hoepen and Fornaroli in the final laps to finish fourth. Van Hoepen finished second with the fastest lap, in an exciting battle with Fornaroli, with both drivers separated by 0.036s. The top five was completed by Tim Tramnitz (MP Motorsport), while Esterson was unable to stay in the fight for the top positions and crossed the finish line in sixth.
Results: