Mumbai Falcons secured a double title victory at the 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship, carving a landmark moment for India on the world motorsport stage.
Arthur Leclerc (younger brother of F1 driver Charles Leclerc) emerged as the drivers’ championship with two races to spare. Adding to those celebrations, Mumbai Falcons also took home the teams’ championship title. With this, they become the first-ever Indian team to win any FIA single-seater championship.
- Mumbai Falcons won 7/15 races to clinch title
- Arthur Leclerc wins drivers’ championship
Leclerc crowned 2022 Formula Regional Asia champion
Heading into the final round at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit, Leclerc held a 40-point lead over Pepe Marti. He placed himself in prime position to seal the title by securing pole position for Race 1.
Pulling off a clean getaway at the start, he enjoyed an untroubled run to the chequered flag to secure his fourth win of the season, and the overall title. The victory also hands him 18 valuable Super Licence points.
Dino Beganovic finished second to hand Mumbai Falcons a 1-2 finish. They followed it up with another double podium finish in Race 2, with Beganovic climbing from ninth to second and Leclerc rounding out the podium in third place.
Mumbai Falcons’ double delight
The result was enough for Mumbai Falcons to wrap up the team’s title as well. From the get go, it was evident that the Indian squad meant business – this is just their second year competing in the Formula Regional Asian Championship (formerly known as F3 Asia).
It teamed up with one of the most successful names in junior single-seater racing, Prema, for its 2022 campaign and fielded three Ferrari Driver Academy racers. And the results came from the very beginning as Sebastian Montoya (son of formula F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya) won the opening race of the season. Montoya only contested three out of five rounds, but he still finished third in the Rookies Cup, which was won by Pepe Marti.
Mumbai Falcons have won seven out of 15 races this season, including a clean sweep at Round 3. All this helped the Indian squad secure the teams’ title by a formidable margin of 79 points over Hitech Grand Prix.
Dinshaw Magol
