Fionn McLaughlin satisfied with Sunday fightback on 'learning weekend'

It was a tricky weekend for Fionn McLaughlin but the Hitech driver put on an admirable fightback through the field on Sunday to finish P13.

The Irishman started down in P29 but was clinical as he made his way up the order, with plenty of overtakes in the Feature Race.

Reflecting on his efforts, McLaughlin said that it was a good performance considering it was his first time visiting Spa-Francorchamps and having to learn the track throughout the weekend.

"I'm happy with that, a lot of good improvements from the beginning of the weekend," he said. "It was a difficult start to the weekend just because I didn't know the track.

"It was my first time here and it wasn't easy to get used too. So after qualifying it obviously wasn't great, but you have to learn and take the most away from it and that's what I did. I just tried to save the tyre at the start of the race, and I did that well and ended up having strong pace and pushed through.

"I had plenty of overtakes, around the outside at 12, there were a few down the straight which was easy with DRS after Eau Rouge, but I passed a few so I can't really remember all of them, nothing special, just getting the job done.

"It's tricky because everyone's stuck so the only way you can make progress is if they start degging or falling off and that's the chance you get to overtake. Or you can get very close if you get a good exit at T1, T14 or T19 onto the straights, that's where you can make your overtakes, but other than that it's quite difficult."

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Finishing just 2.1s off the points was a confidence-building result that he'll now take into next weekend in Budapest, a circuit that he has visited previously, but will be racing around for the first time once again.

Following an encouraging weekend for the team in Belgium, with teammate Jin Nakamura victorious in the Sprint Race, McLaughlin says that he's looking forward to the next phase of the season as he continues to build on his F3 experience.

"It was a learning weekend, and I am satisfied with it in the end. I still want a lot more but it's difficult. I don't know a lot of circuits this year, and coming from F4 was difficult, so I'm just trying to take away the most I can.

"I've been to Budapest once, so I need to see how I do there. I haven't raced there before but hopefully at the next few tracks and with the test in Madrid, I'll have some laps there and know the tracks some more.

"I think my teammate Jin is doing a good job. He's obviously won this weekend, and he's obviously racked up a good few points, and the team is doing a good job with the car making it quicker every weekend and that's what we're trying to improve. I have to keep working and focusing on myself."