PREMA Racing's Bittersweet Season: Triumph and Heartbreak in FIA Formula 3

PREMA Racing's 2024 season was a rollercoaster of emotions for team principal Rene Rosin. While the Italian outfit celebrated another dominant performance in the FIA Formula 3 Teams' Championship, they narrowly missed out on the coveted Drivers' title, leaving Rosin with a bittersweet taste. Despite the disappointment, the team's impressive depth and the individual brilliance of its drivers shone through, setting the stage for an even more captivating 2025 campaign.

Powering Through Adversity: PREMA's Relentless Pursuit of Excellence

Mastering the Teams' Title, Falling Short in the Drivers' Race

PREMA Racing's 2024 season was a testament to their unwavering commitment to excellence. The team once again proved to be the dominant force in FIA Formula 3, capturing their fifth Teams' Championship in six seasons with a round to spare at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit. This remarkable achievement underscored the team's ability to consistently deliver top-tier performances, even in the face of fierce competition.However, the team's quest for the Drivers' title proved to be a more elusive goal. Despite having three drivers – Gabriele Minì, Arvid Lindblad, and Dino Beganovic – firmly in the championship hunt, PREMA ultimately fell short, with Minì narrowly missing out on the title at the final corner of the season finale in Monza.

Analyzing the Missed Opportunities

Rosin acknowledged that a series of mistakes throughout the season, not limited to any single driver, had cost the team the Drivers' Championship. From the compromised qualifying session in Budapest due to a red flag, to the challenging conditions in Silverstone and Monza, the team was unable to maximize their potential at crucial moments."There have been mistakes that have not always been driver or team related," Rosin explained. "We won but still I think we didn't maximise everything all the time. Every time you are P3 you need to finish P3, every time you can get P1 you need to get P1, and I think as a team generally we left some performance on the table that cost us the Championship at the end, especially for Gabriele."

Celebrating Individual Brilliance Amidst the Disappointment

Despite the team's collective disappointment, Rosin was quick to praise the individual performances of his drivers. He expressed his delight at having Minì back in the PREMA stable after their successful collaboration in Formula 4, and lauded the young Italian's extraordinary performances throughout the season, including his impressive debut in Formula 2 at Baku.Rosin was equally impressed with the progress made by Lindblad and Beganovic. The team principal highlighted Lindblad's remarkable adaptation to the step up from Formula 4, as well as Beganovic's masterclass drive in Melbourne, which he described as a "pleasure to see."

Reflecting on the Highlights of the Season

As Rosin looked back on the 2024 campaign, he identified several standout moments that exemplified PREMA's dominance and the individual brilliance of his drivers. The team's victory in Monaco, despite the compromised qualifying sessions for Lindblad and Beganovic, was a particular highlight, as was the masterclass performance at Silverstone, where the team overcame the challenges of changing track conditions to secure a remarkable result.Rosin's personal favorite, however, was Beganovic's drive in Melbourne, which he described as "a masterclass" and "something that everyone will remember." The team principal's pride in the achievements of his drivers and the collective effort of the PREMA squad was palpable, even in the face of the bittersweet conclusion to the season.