The Silverstone Race Pack

30 June 2022

FIA Formula 3 is back on British shores for the first time since 2020 for round four of the 2022 season. Silverstone will present a high-speed challenge for all the drivers, no matter how much prior experience they might have around the popular track.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Victor Martins has stamped his authority on the Championship by rebounding from his Barcelona Sprint Race DNF to win the Feature event, but his rivals are hot on his heels. David Vidales is the latest new name on the F3 winners’ list after taking the Sprint victory on home soil.

Trident, MP Motorsport, PREMA Racing and Hitech Grand Prix were all winners on Formula 3’s last visits to Silverstone back in 2020 on back-to-back weekends. So far this season, PREMA is the only team of the quartet that hasn’t taken the top spot in a race this year, but Oliver Bearman will be extra eager to correct that on home soil, while Jak Crawford and Arthur Leclerc will be aiming for victory to help their title ambitions.

Jonny Edgar returns to Trident after his recover from health issues while Zdenek Chovanec replaces Lirim Zendelli at Charouz Racing System. With Alexander Smolyar absent this weekend, Filip Ugran will step in at MP in the #11 car.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

WHERE TO WATCH THE SESSIONS

FROM THE GRID – Reece Ushijima, Van Amersfoort Racing

“There are two tracks on the calendar that I know quite well, and that's Bahrain and Silverstone so I have high expectations for myself. The level of the competition in Formula 3 is a lot harder, so if I can win at Silverstone in an F3 car that’d be a big deal for me. Having lived there it’s the nearest thing I have to a home race. It's going to be difficult, but if the team and I just continue improving, and every lap we do with a purpose, I can't see why we can’t get a win or a podium.

“I think a lot of people expect you to say that Maggots and Becketts are your favourite corners at Silverstone, but I think a lot of the slow speed stuff is a real experience. There are bits you can gain, in the chicane and even going into Brooklands. In general, the whole track is really fun to drive. In the race, it gets a bit more difficult with how abrasive it is, but it's probably the track I've done the most laps around and I can't complain about any lap I've done.

“Tyre management will be really difficult considering how many high-speed corners there are, even in GB3 we had a lot of issues with the tyre there. It's no secret that tyre management in this Championship is really important. I think if you just drive as smoothly as possible and keep out of trouble, then it won't be too difficult.

“Overtaking is always tricky with the dirty air and how many high-speed corners there are. You always gain in the straights and then you lose put on time because of the dirty air. I've kind of made a point of my starts now, and I think on the first lap around there's a lot you can gain because it's such a big track and you can do your own thing. I think that's where I'll be working the most.”

LAST TIME OUT – BARCELONA

Home hero David Vidales took the honours in the Sprint for Campos Racing, earning his first F3 victory with a measured defensive drive from Jak Crawford, who couldn’t find a way through before the end.

Victor Martins endured two very different days at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya. On Saturday during the Sprint Race, his work was over prematurely after suffering an issue in the early phases. The Frenchman bounced back magnificently though to win the Feature Race the following day in style, extending his Championship advantage to eight points over Roman Stanek. He claimed the lead from lights out and defended his position at two Safety Car restarts to win.

The PREMA Racing driver moved himself up to third in the Drivers’ Championship while teammate Arthur Leclerc fell away from the lead having entered the round level on points with Martins. The Monégasque now sits in fifth position, with rookie Isack Hadjar moving himself inside the top five in his rookie campaign.

TYRE TALK

The drivers will be using the white hard compound Pirelli tyres this weekend due to the demands of the Silverstone circuit.

Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Director

“The fast corners at Silverstone make it one of the most demanding circuits all season for the tyres. It’s for this reason that the P Zero White hard tyre is nominated for Formula 3: a compound that this year’s field of drivers is already familiar with from Bahrain and Barcelona. It should allow them to race hard, although a degree of management will be needed with the new rear tyres for 2022 designed to degrade quicker and make the cars more challenging to drive. Of course, the weather in England also has the potential to mix things up as we have seen in previous years at Silverstone.”

KEY STATS

David Vidales became the fifth winner of the 2022 Formula 3 campaign last time out in Barcelona.
Six different teams and six different drivers made it to the podium at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Two drivers, Victor Martins and Isack Hadjar have collected podiums in all three rounds of the season to date.
Hadjar is the highest-scoring rookie, and has the most points finishes of any driver, scoring in five out of six races.
The circuit record at Silverstone is 1:43.902, set by Jüri Vips with Hitech Grand Prix in 2019.
The 5.891 KM track has made three appearances on the Formula 3 calendar, appearing once in 2019 and twice in 2020.

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