Tatuus iMagazine

15 Belov’s rebound Michael Belov deserves a particular mention, as the Russian lost his prospected Formula 3 ride with Charouz. Without a seat for 2021, and having been sidelined by the SMP Racing program despite his positive results, Belov had to sit out the first part of the season but maximized the chance that JD Motorsport gave him. As the Italian team had not reached the top‐10 in the early part of the year, a ride was offered to Belov as a wild card for Le Castellet, and the driver answered the bell with two second places out of 35 competitors. The result was so exceptional that G4 Racing, looking for a reference driver in their series debut, offered him a chance. Belov went on to take two wins, two poles, and three fastest laps for the Swiss squad. He eventually secured P8 in the driver standings, handing G4 sixth place in the team competition. Struggling rookies The 2021 season saw the debut of several young prospects coming from Formula 4. Despite the expectations being quite high, rookies had a tough time battling with their more experienced colleagues, and only Isack Hadjar managed to make it to the victory at Monte Carlo and Monza. The French driver of Algerian heritage also won the class title ahead of Gabriele Minì. Despite claiming four overall finishes in the first half of the season, the Italian paid the price of a slight drop in performance by ART Grand Prix. Dino Beganovic also found redemption, cruising to pole at Monza, and Gabriel Bortoleto took pole at Spielberg. Together with Mari Boya, they were the only rookies to celebrate on the overall podium.