PREMA Racing 2024 Review: One out of two titles makes for a bittersweet season

Rene Rosin called PREMA Racing’s 2024 season “bittersweet” as while he was delighted to take home another Teams’ Title, he was disappointed to miss out on the Drivers’ Championship.

The Italian outfit proved to be the ones to beat again in FIA Formula 3, as they captured their fifth Teams’ Championship in six seasons with a round to spare at Spa-Francorchamps.

However, they missed out on the Drivers’ title for the third-consecutive campaign with Gabriele Minì narrowly losing out at the final corner of the year in Monza.

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But with Minì joined in the top six of the Standings by teammates Arvid Lindblad and Dino Beganovic, Rosin is not too displeased with the result given the mistakes that were made.

“To be honest it’s a bit of a bittersweet year,” said Rosin. “Once again winning the Teams' Championship was a great result, all the drivers being in the top six in the Championship, being very close with each other and in with a chance to fight for the Championship at the last round.

“Unfortunately, a few mistakes happened throughout the season that cost us the Drivers' Championship, with all the drivers, not just one particularly. There have been a few mistakes with Arvid, a few mistakes with Dino and with Gabriele, which compromised us a bit.

“That was the bitter part because I think we would have deserved the Championship. Credit to Leo Fornaroli for doing a great season, a very consistent one but on other hand I think both Gabriele, Arvid and Dino deserved a better position in the Standings.”

When asked about the mistakes that cost them, Rosin replied: “There have been mistakes that have not always been driver or team related. So, if you consider the Qualifying in Budapest, we were compromised by the Red Flag caused by Luke Browning.

“That took us out of the top 10, and we were basically on the first push lap that we were clear to do and that compromised us a bit.

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“Then you look at the Monza quali, we were compromised in Silverstone in the quali and race due to changing conditions with the rain and the slicks, and then the wets. We won but still I think we didn't maximise everything all the time.

“One of the points from me was that when you want to win the Championship every time you need to achieve something. 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.”

This was Minì’s second campaign in F3 after spending his rookie season with Hitech Pulse-Eight. Rosin admitted his delight at having him back in his stable after their success in Formula 4, while also praising him for his performance this year.

“After the winning season with us in Formula 4 Gabriele went away from us for various reasons that weren't up to me to decide,” he said. “He came back this year, we were of course very much challenging to try to win the Championship with him, we tried hard in the last race but again this is part of the game.

“I think Gabriele has a long career ahead of him, the performance at times through the season was extraordinary. Even looking at his race in Formula 2 in Baku, it was extraordinary for a rookie to jump into Formula 2 without any experience.

“So, I am looking forward to what the future will bring to him because he really deserves a lot. He is a great kid, and a great person to work with as are Dino and Arvid.”

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Rosin was just as impressed with Lindblad and Beganovic, picking out moments in their campaigns where he felt they shone brightest.

“Honestly Arvid jumping from Formula 4 the step has been pretty big,” he admitted. “At the beginning he was struggling a bit with tyre degradation but once he understood that, at Barcelona, and then the Silverstone drive, he is always there, always fighting for the top positions.

“Some bad qualifying results in the final two rounds compromised his championship hopes but from a rookie’s point of view, P4 in the first season in Formula 3, coming from Formula 4, he did something incredible.

“For Dino, we arrived back from Melbourne where he had an outstanding drive, it was a masterclass, he was absolutely fantastic. And if I look at his race in Bahrain after the problem he had at the start with an issue. If he was P1 he would have won by miles ahead of the others.

“Then he got a bad middle part of the season, but then at the end of the season he had the Spa win. I think the season at the end has been really positive.

“His middle part of the season compromised a bit his ranking but when you have all the three drivers arriving for the top positions of the championship at the last round, it means that if you arrive first or sixth you have done a tremendous job.”

With another title in the bag, Rosin continued to express his pride for the work done by each PREMA team member this year who made it possible. So, as he reflected for one final time on the 2024 campaign, he picked out some of his favourite moments.

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“For sure winning in Monaco, although I think we had the car and the performance to have nearly all three cars on the podium,” he said. “Unfortunately, in Dino and Arvid's group we had the Red Flag that compromised their quali, but we had the speed to have all the drivers in the top positions.

“Silverstone was another masterclass, but we were far off in Qualifying due to the improvements on the track in the end but then with a bit of luck, but in motorsport you need a bit of luck, finishing how we finished was incredible.

“Once again, the master drive of Dino in Melbourne, it was a pleasure to see that race, it was fantastic to see him driving and I think it is something that everyone will remember.”