Isack Hadjar has won the opening race of the 2022 Formula 3 season in Bahrain.
Saturday’s on-track activity at the Bahrain International Circuit started with Formula 3’s Sprint Race.
The polesitter Zak O’Sullivan had an intense battle with Oliver Bearman at the start, but managed to stay in front. Behind them, Victor Martins had a contact with Isack Hadjar. Furthermore, Roman Stanek and Franco Colapinto both had to pit after a collision.
On lap 3, Arthur Leclerc made a pass on Gregoire Saucy for P9. However, the ART GP driver quickly recovered his position. Leclerc lost the momentum and that allowed Caio Collet to get to P10.
Later on, teammates Martins and Saucy collided in turn 1, which resulted in a retirement for both. Upfront, Bearman overtook O’Sullivan for the lead.
Behind the leaders there was a three-way battle for P3 between Zane Maloney, Hadjar, and Alexander Smolyar. Hadjar put pressure on Maloney, while all three drivers got close to O’Sullivan who was in second. On lap 15, both Maloney and Hadjar passed the Carlin driver. The battle was not over though as Hadjar overtook Maloney a lap later.
Maloney lost the podium spot after Alexander Smolyar’s overtake.
Bearman crossed the finish line first. However, he was given a 5-second time penalty for the track limits violation, which dropped the Briton down to P2 and made Hadjar the race winner. Smolyar completed the podium.
The results of the Formula 3 Sprint Race in Bahrain:
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Isack Hadjar | Hitech GP | 37:30.285 |
| 2 | Oliver Bearman | PREMA Racing | +1.589 |
| 3 | Alexander Smolyar | MP Motorsport | +3.593 |
| 4 | Zane Maloney | Trident | +5.649 |
| 5 | Arthur Leclerc | PREMA Racing | +5.664 |
| 6 | Zak O’Sullivan | Carlin | +8.850 |
| 7 | Caio Collet | MP Motorsport | +9.140 |
| 8 | Kaylen Frederick | Hitech GP | +11.479 |
| 9 | Juan Manuel Correa | ART GP | +12.153 |
| 10 | David Vidales | Campos Racing | +19.134 |
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