MOTORSPORT – BAHRAIN-based Winfield Racing School will be entering a team in the Formula Middle East 2025 Championship, with some homegrown talent possibly being a part of a three-driver squad.
The entry was revealed by Winfield Group president Frederic Garcia, who was speaking about the academy’s plans and programmes for the upcoming 2024-25 national campaign at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC).
Winfield Racing School, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2024, has an unrivalled reputation in Europe for the training and selection of talented young racing drivers.
Earlier this year, it joined forces with BIC to create The Winfield Racing School Middle East, which has the mission of detecting, training and evaluating young motorsport talent from all over the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
Winfield is set to be an important part of BIC’s track calendar this season, and they are hoping to select three of their academy’s drivers to be a part of the entry in their Formula Middle East 2025 bid.
“We will see from the drivers who will train with us if they have the potential to enter the championship,” Garcia told the GDN. “Some of them will have quite some experience, some of them are starting from nothing, so it could take time to be able compete in a championship.
“On all training days, we may welcome 20 to 30 drivers, but for the championship, we will have only two or three drivers. There is a maximum of three cars per team, and we already entered and registered for two cars, but we plan to have a third.”
Over the years, Winfield Racing School has produced 30 Formula 1 stars, including 10 grands prix winners and two world champions, namely Damon Hill and legendary four-time F1 world champion Alain Prost.
Relaunched in 2016, the school has been involved in the early careers of the next generation of racing talent, including 2023 Formula 2 champion Theo Pourchaire, Red Bull junior team member and current F2 driver Isack Hadjar, and 2024 F1 Academy debutant Doriane Pin, to name a few.
Garcia noted that Winfield will be looking for more than just a talented racer when they select their line-up for next year’s Formula Middle East campaign.
“Nowadays, talent is not the only thing,” explained Garcia. “More than just about driving, it is understanding the need to be physically prepared and mentally prepared, ready to understand the marketing aspect, the way you have to behave, everything – it’s an entire potential.
“Talent on track is one thing. The car is now easier to drive than 30 years ago, so where it makes a difference is in your physical and mental preparation.
“The drivers need to understand that they need to have discipline on their physical preparations and mental side. Discipline is everything.
“The people must understand that it is a serious thing, and the approach should be really professional. If you want to become a professional racing driver, you need to be motivated and committed to your project.”
Winfield Racing School Middle East will be hosting at BIC an F4 Training Camp in November and December. It is designed for young sim and karting racers.
The programme will be run by dedicated experts, and it will cover everything an individual needs to know about becoming a racing driver, both on and off the track.
It will be held over two stages, the first between November 14 and 16 or November 26 and 28, and the second will be on December 17 and 18.
More information on the training camp and online registration can be found on the links available on Winfield’s Instagram account @winfieldracingschool.
The Formula Middle East 2025 season incorporates both the Formula Regional and expanded Formula 4 Middle East Championships, each certified by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, under a single umbrella event.
There will be five stops in the Formula Middle East 2025 calendar. The championship gets underway with two rounds at Kuwait Motor Town on January 17 and 24, and then it moves to the Dubai Autodrome on February 8. It will then hold its penultimate round at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit on February 15, with the final event on February 27 at a location that is yet to be announced.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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