Interview
Edgar keen to keep on learning as he reveals “it’s looking like” he’ll stay in F3 next season
Jonny Edgar has been Carlin Buzz Racing’s strongest performer in 2021, but with just two rounds of his rookie season to go, he says he’s as focused on increasing his experience as he is scoring points, revealing that “it’s looking like” he’ll return for a second season of Formula 3.
Carlin have struggled at times in 2021, but the Red Bull junior has still managed to produce two top 12 Qualifying finishes and a haul of 23-points.
Despite not scoring in the previous two rounds, Edgar feels that he’s now extracting more from the car, with mechanical issues ruining all three races for him in Budapest, while he said he struggled with pace in Spa.
“Budapest is the fastest we've been on one-lap pace,” said Edgar, who qualified in 12th at the Hungaroring. “I feel like I’m getting up to speed more quickly and am more confident in the car. I think in general I just have more experience.
“My Quali laps have been better, and I’ve gotten more out of the car. The more you do things, the better you get. The goal going into weekends is to be in the top 12. Even if you drop back a little bit in the races, as long as you stay in the top 12 then you will still be reversed into a good position.
“It’s still possible to score if you miss out, like I did at the Red Bull Ring, where I qualified 18th and then finished P5, P6 and P10, but it’s easier if you’re further forward.
“I’ve learned a lot, but it’s still difficult. You don’t get much track time and with these tyres, you don’t get many laps, but I’m always learning something, and the main focus is to carry on learning for next year.”
And with the 17-year-old hopeful of remaining in Formula 3 next season, he says he’s determined to soak up every drop of information in the final two rounds at Zandvoort and Austin.
“This year I am just focused on learning as much as I can,” he continued. “It’s looking like I will probably be in F3 again, so it will be good to use what I have learned in my second year.
“If that happens, I think post-season testing could prove useful in terms of taking what I’ve learned and working on everything that I know I need to improve on. On a race weekend, it’s so difficult with the limited track time to work on yourself and the car.
“You don’t get the time to try things. Practice time is so short, and the track is so different to what it’s like in Quali and the races. You don’t want to change too much because you know that the track will be completely different in the next session.”