The FIA Formula 3 campaign returns for Round 5 at Silverstone in Great Britain, but what should you be watching out for this weekend?

VESTI NEEDS TO FIND SOME CONSISTENCY

Frederik Vesti needs a good weekend if he is to keep pace in the title fight. The PREMA Racing ace gave us a taste of what he is about with a Race 1 victory in Round 2, but hasn’t been on the podium since, and suffered a pointless weekend in Budapest.

The difference between him and his teammates in the early rounds has been consistency. Oscar Piastri leads the Drives’ Championship, but only has one win himself – the difference being that the Renault junior has scored three further podiums, and finished in the points in every race bar one.

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The third of the PREMA trio, Logan Sargeant, sits second in the standings, but without a race victory to his name yet. Again, the American has only finished outside of the points once, and has three podium finishes.

Vesti currently sits fourth in the standings. If he can add that type of consistency to his game, then he’ll be right in the fight.

QUALIFYING HAS BEEN THRILLING

Qualifying has been a must watch in F3 this year, with plenty of drama and a new polesitter in every round so far. Vesti, Sargeant, Alex Smolyar and Sebastián Fernández have all achieved one so far, with none of the grid able to consistently stand out around one lap yet.

Most of the pole laps have been set at the death as well, with the drivers managing to find that little bit extra around the track on their final push lap.

LAWSON CAN INCREASE HIS TITLE CHANCES

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Liam Lawson was billed as a title contender in the leadup to the season, but Hitech Grand Prix’s slow start to 2020 saw the Red Bull junior struggle in the opening rounds of the campaign.

Race pace was never an issue for the British side - as evidenced by the Kiwi’s Race 2 win in Round 1 - but they struggled to turn the car on in Qualifying. They’ve also been unable to capitalise during the first race of the weekend, where the most points are available.

Those issues appeared to be behind them in Round 4, with the British outfit amongst the very quickest on the grid. Lawson and his teammate Max Fewtrell took second and fourth in Qualifying, and the Kiwi converted this into an emphatic race win.

Victory lifted Lawson up to fifth in the standings, and if Hitech can continue in the same vein of form, the Kiwi could finally get himself amongst the title fight.

THE TEAMS ARE CLOSELY MATCHED

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It is no secret that PREMA dominated the Teams’ Championship in 2019, but the title fight has been a lot more open this time around. Yes, the Italian side do possess a healthy lead at the top of the table, but that is more through consistency, than sheer strength.

Four different teams have taken victory already. PREMA, Hitech, ART Grand Prix and Trident have two wins a piece, while Campos, Carlin Buzz Racing, MP Motorsport and HWA RACELAB have all had their moments so far this season. Each outfit has the potential to fight for race wins and podium places, creating exciting unpredictably when it comes to results.