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Five big things and five not so big things we loved in season 3 of Chasing The Dream
Chasing The Dream returned last week with the highly anticipated release of season three, and it’s bigger than ever before, with a deeper insight into the human element of the drivers and their lives away from the track. To coincide with its release, we picked out some of the highlights from the six episodes.
1. GUANYU ZHOU COMPLETING HIS JOURNEY TO FORMULA 1
After three years of following Guanyu Zhou in Chasing The Dream, we see the UNI-Virtuosi racer achieve his dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver, as he earns a seat with Alfa Romeo in Formula 1 for the 2022 season.
Taking a trip around Chinatown in London with the soon-to-be F1 star, the episode captures the emotion behind the move and the significance of him becoming his country’s first Formula 1 driver.
During a one-on-one interview, Virtuosi co-owner Andy Roche expresses his belief that the Chinese racer is now F1-ready and the on-track footage in episode 1 matches this statement.
For fans wanting to know more about Zhou, the three seasons of Chasing The Dream serve as ideal homework.
1.5. WHEN THE DRIVERS COULDN’T REMEMBER HOW OLD THEY WERE
Jehan Daruvala and Liam Lawson both struggle to remember their ages at the start of episode two, while 24-year-old Jack Aitken says he’d been teased for “being old” earlier that day. When they eventually get their ages correct, it’s a reminder of just how young these very talented and daring stars are.
2. FOLLOWING THÉO POURCHAIRE DURING HIS HISTORIC WEEKEND AT MONACO
Pourchaire made history in 2021, becoming F2’s youngest ever polesitter and race winner with a legendary performance in Monte Carlo. In a stroke of luck, it just so happened that Pourchaire had granted the documentary access to follow his every move that weekend.
The 18-year-old lives less than an hour away from the famed street circuit and throughout the episode, we see how he and his family deal with what was arguably the biggest weekend of his career to date.
A trip to his accommodation for breakfast on the Saturday morning is sandwiched between him taking pole on the Friday and winning the race on the Sunday, before the episode concludes with a trip to Paris.
From lifting the P1 board in delight to carrying around the French flag with his father by his side as he strode back to the F2 paddock, surrounded by fans, it’s the closest many of us will ever come to knowing how it feels to win at the most famous track on the calendar.
2.5. SEEING LEWIS HAMILTON’S GP2 CAR AT THE ART GRAND PRIX FACTORY
Before we speak to Pourchaire in episode two, we embark on a tour around his team ART Grand Prix’s garage in Villeneuve-la-Guyard, France. During the tour, manager Sébastien Phillipe shows that the historic outfit still has Lewis Hamilton’s 2006 GP2 winning car in pride of place at the factory.
Pourchaire is hoping to lead ART to their first title since 2019, with his eyes on an F1 seat of his own in the future – could his car eventually be added to the team’s collection?
3. OSCAR PIASTRI’S DOMINANCE
Oscar Piastri’s starring role builds throughout the series, just like his title charge did.
After a promising first few rounds, the Australian becomes the lead protagonist in episode four, shortly after taking the lead in the standings in Round 4 at Silverstone.
Spending time at Alpine’s Enstone-based factory and the nearby flat that Piastri shares with F3 racer Caio Collet in Oxford, we get a look at what he is like away from the stresses of a race weekend. From the unmade bed and the all-important blackout blinds to the worryingly empty fridge, it appears to be a pretty conventional lifestyle.
There is also a fascinating in-depth conversation between Piastri’s manager Mark Webber and F2 commentator Alex Jacques, where the former F1 driver discusses his relationship with Piastri and his determination to find his protégé a spot on the grid.
3.5. THE TRAFFIC JAM AT SILVERSTONE
With fans returning to Silverstone for the British round of the season, traffic from the support paddock to the hotels was typically at a standstill.
This led to a late evening meet-up between Marcus Armstrong, Jack Aitken and Roy Nissany, as they waited just outside of the car park. With the sun setting and little sign of movement, they discuss their early starts for the following race day.
Jack Aitken’s classic car (a green David Brown Automotive (DBA) Mini Remastered, Oselli Edition) is the highlight of the vehicles, and the Briton jokes that it may end up being his hotel room for the night, due to the traffic. However, having travelled in on an electric scooter, Nissany’s mode of transport was the most practical for getting out of the circuit.
4. DAN TICKTUM’S BATTLE TO PROVE THAT HE’S F1 WORTHY
Describing his aims as “F1 or bust,” Dan Ticktum’s battle to prove himself worthy of a shot in the pinnacle of motorsport included both tantalizing highs and crushing lows.
Alex Jacques describes Ticktum as box office and he doesn’t disappoint. Amid plenty of fruity language (all bleeped out of course), there is some superb racecraft on display from the Briton.
We are introduced to the Ticktum family at the BRDC Farm Club and also taken for some off-road racing, during which time we see the emotion behind the pursuit of his dream and how close he is to his family, whose support he greatly appreciates.
With the British racer ending the season with the announcement that he would be driving in Formula E next season, it’s a reminder of just how challenging it is to make the final step from F2 to F1.
READ MORE: Hauger says that any pressure put on him as F3 champion is a ‘positive’
4.5. DAN TICKTUM’S NICKNAME FOR JEHAN DARUVALA
As mentioned above, Dan Ticktum has provided plenty of entertaining moments during his two years in F2, least of all his two mega charges through the field in Baku and Monza last season, which are captured brilliantly in the documentary.
However, it’s hard to look past the reveal of his nickname for 2021 Carlin teammate Jehan Daruvala as the greatest moment of the lot.
Of course, you’ll have to watch the episode to find out…
5. MEETING THE NEXT GENERATION
For the first time, Chasing The Dream takes fans into the Formula 3 paddock, travelling to Spa-Francorchamps to meet a new generation of drivers who will be fighting for a spot in F1.
The likes of Dennis Hauger, Jack Doohan and Clément Novalak – who may be featured in the fourth season of Chasing The Dream – all appear on screen. The trio were race winners in 2021 and earned moves into F2 on the back of the F3 campaign.
Also included is Juan Manuel Correa, who made an emotional return to Spa for the first time since his accident in 2019.
5.5. DUNE BUGGY DRIVING WITH ROBERT SHWARTZMAN
In the final episode, Producer and Director Rory Child travels to the desert in Abu Dhabi for a spot of dune buggy driving.
Described as “genuinely terrifying” by Child, Shwartzman revels in ripping around the desert at night in a speedy dune buggy that is vibrantly lit up in neon green. It makes for seriously cool television.
All six episodes of the third season of Chasing The Dream are available now on F1TV Access and Pro.