Tatuus iMagazine

28 What is the balance of the first two seasons of F.3 Asian and the collaboration with Tatuus and Autotecnica Motori? «We are approaching the end of the second season in Asia with the new F3R Tatuus-Autotecnica car; just over 12 months have passed since the first Sepang race on July 2018, and in this very short time, we already organized two championships and a Winter Series. So many events and distances that no other Series in the world has produced with the same type of car. I think that for us as organizers, and for Tatuus and Autotecnica as manufacturers, Asia has been an important test, and the car proved itself. The data collected in Asia was key for the development and improvement of the machinery which, as it turned out, has since become the global benchmark for the F3 Regional segment. The fact that the Tatuus F318 is the best-selling single car worldwide shows that we made the right choice. This is an important factor for the success of a series as it is easy to choose the best selling machine when it is already on the market, while it's more difficult and risky to do so when you are the first to select. So it was a great satisfaction for us, and I think for the whole Tatuus group as well. We both won this challenge. The F3AC immediately gathered the attention of the experts, we had important numbers in terms of car counts considering the delicate moment of transition that F3 is living. The series has a solid base of teams that provide constant support, as well as the interest of drivers who want to compete in Asia. F3 Asia gathers attention for the type of tracks on which it is going to compete, for the fact of running in a region that offers a good showcase for companies and sponsors and, most importantly, for the budgets needed, that are much lower than in the corresponding European series. Drivers and teams are well aware of the limits of F3AC mainly due to logistic, distance and climate conditions that cannot be compared with those of other championships. Despite this aspect, the teams are doing a great job to line-up well-prepared cars. In addition, Tatuus and Autotecnica are following us with particular attention because they realized the different working and maintenance conditions. As an organizer, we made an enormous effort to put teams and drivers at ease by offering a platform that maximizes any aspect, from the presentation of the series to the opportunity to get Super License points and to media coverage, while minimizing the budget. We are surprised by the number of fans and enthusiasts who follow the F3AC races, with peaks of 2 million contacts during race weekends». What is the strongest point of the series and what still needs to be worked on? «2019 was the year in which the new F3 concept by the FIA became fully operational. It will probably take a season to have some uniformity around the continents but we can already see that F3 Regional is the right direction for the future of junior single-seaters. With five championships started between 2018 and 2019 using this concept, and with at least two others series coming in 2020, there is a clear indication that the F3R path is the right one, relying on a car with high performance but reduced purchase and management costs.