New look Rodin Motorsport hoping young chargers usher in F3 reset

Having undergone a transformation into Rodin Motorsport, the team has hopes of turning around their Formula 3 fortunes having endured a tough spell in recent years.

The trio tasked with helping Rodin forge a brighter path in F3 this time season is Callum Voisin, Joseph Loake and Piotr Wisnicki.

For a team that has a historic level of success in junior motorsport as well as race-winning pedigree in Formula 2, there is no shortage of knowhow within the Rodin ranks.

What does 2024 hold for the outfit, and can they bounce back from a 2023 season the team labelled as disappointing?

The first of the 2024 trio to be confirmed for the year, Callum Voisin arrives in Formula 3 with championship-winning success with Rodin already. Though he likely won’t be heading into 2024 with the expectation of achieving the same at the first time of asking in F3, the familiarity and positivity he has having already worked well with Rodin is a huge plus point to carry into his rookie campaign.

Voisin was impressive in GB3 last season, taking two race victories in a crucial phase of the year as the title battle intensified in the closing rounds. His 11 podium finishes, comfortably the highest tally in the GB3 field, formed the solid foundations to his title-winning effort.

A replication of that consistency would be a huge help to Rodin’s attempts at arresting their slide in F3 and returning to much more familiar performance levels.

The British driver was on the podium twice at circuits he and his rivals will visit in 2024, achieving a pair of P2 finishes at Spa-Francorchamps as well as two third-place results at Silverstone. That experience will be crucial especially with such limited track time available to drivers on an F3 weekend prior to Qualifying.

Six pole positions during the GB3 campaign speaks to a strong level of speed which will be crucial with grid position so important in F3, especially if a driver can sneak into the top 12 for the reverse grid Sprint Race.

He is yet to finish worse than sixth in the overall standings in his car in single seater racing career and while that will be a difficult record to keep intact, it does bode well for what 2024 might hold for Voisin and Rodin.

GB3 rival-turned-teammate, Joseph Loake joins Voisin at Rodin for the 2024 F3 season after a year of battling against his compatriot for the title.

Last year, he claimed four wins and a further four podiums en route to P3 in the GB3 Drivers’ Standings but it was his quick start that catches the eye.

Three race wins in the opening five races from Rounds 1 and 2 shows just how quickly Loake was at home in the series. Should he replicate that quick acclimatisation to F3, it could count for a lot early on in the season around unfamiliar venues in Sakhir and Melbourne.

Three pole positions and three fastest laps show that Loake is hardly a slouch across a flying lap either. Once again, with the grid often separated by the slenderest of margins, Qualifying pace might be a huge performance factor in the early rounds.

Like Voisin, Loake has experienced plenty of strong seasons already in his young career, finishing no worse than sixth across a full season of racing so far since graduating from karting. His quick adaptation to whatever he has been driving is a positive to carry into 2024 and FIA Formula 3.

Loake also has experience around Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, winning twice around the former and taking a P2 finish on Belgian soil last season. Those experiences should put him in good standing, with just the one Practice session available to drivers on an F3 race weekend.

Piotr Wisnicki returns to Formula 3 after completing a partial campaign last season. The Polish driver has raced in Sakhir, Melbourne, Monte Carlo, and Barcelona in FIA Formua 3. Those races will be hugely useful for the upcoming season where experience will count for more with so many rookies learning the ropes.

With a best finish of P18 around Monte Carlo in his F3 career, Wisnicki finished all but one of his races in the Championship, a good level of consistency that he’ll be aiming to replicate as he gets back up to speed himself.

Experience on the Pirelli rubber could be especially vital, with the Sakhir International Circuit representing one of the toughest tracks on the tyres drivers will face all season. An opportunity to make his prior knowledge count in Round 1 may well make a difference in a field that is usually bunched together closely.

For a team that scored just once across the whole of last season, Rodin only have one direction it can head in 2024 and looks to have a lineup capable of helping the team bounce back.

There is no shortage of knowledge and motivation to turn things around and restore the outfit back up to a more competitive level. A strong start could set the tone as Rodin Motorsport heads down the road of recovery.