The second round of the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship in association with Duo takes place on the legendary Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in Kent this weekend (16/17 April), with a packed field of talented racers aiming for glory in three races.
The BRDC British F3 Championship will co-headline the meeting alongside the British GT Championship, which holds its first race of the 2016 season on Sunday, ensuring that there will be fantastic racing of both the single-seater and GT variety for spectators to enjoy.
As British F3 returned following a one-year hiatus, expectations were high ahead of the opening round of the year at Snetterton on Easter Weekend, and the championship certainly delivered. Douglas Motorsport’s Enaam Ahmed came away from Norfolk with a slender lead in the standings, having taken three podiums including a final race victory in an extremely consistent weekend for the youngest driver in the championship.
Carlin’s Lando Norris, the 2015 MSA Formula champion, showed exactly why he is rated so highly by storming to a wet race one victory by over 19 seconds, and with additional finishes of sixth and third, he sits second overall in the championship seven points behind Ahmed. However, Norris is set to lose ground in the race for the title as he will miss the upcoming Brands Hatch round due to clashing commitments. Colton Herta, son of multiple IndyCar and CART race-winner Bryan, will deputise for Norris this weekend.
Current third-placed man Toby Sowery will be aiming to take advantage of Norris’ situation as he looks to build on a strong Snetterton weekend, which saw him not once finish outside of the top-four and take the runner-up spot behind Ahmed in race three. The Lanan Racing driver is 11 points adrift of Ahmed and will be one to watch after his promising start to the season despite limited testing.
Double R Racing, a stalwart of the previous British F3 Championship, enjoyed a good weekend last time out with Finnish racer Aleksanteri Huovinen taking second behind Norris in race one, whilst Brazilian driver Matheus Leist secured the reverse-grid race two victory. They sit fourth and fifth overall respectively, ahead of HHC Motorsport’s Sisa Ngebulana and team-mate Enzo Bortoleto.
Further back Ricky Collard, a pre-season title favourite, endured a difficult opening weekend as he failed to finish race two before mounting an impressive recovery driver in race three to take eighth, having started at the back of the field. He will be one to watch as he looks to bounce back, along with Douglas Motorsport’s Australian racer Thomas Randle, who also had his own difficulties despite showing the pace to compete at the front.
The second round of the 2016 season also marks the British F3 debut for Indian racer Krishnaraaj Mahadik, who will line up on the grid for the first time with Chris Dittmann Racing, having been forced to miss Snetterton due to school commitments.
Qualifying at Brands Hatch gets underway at 11:40 on Saturday with race one following at 15:30.Sunday’s action commences with the reverse grid race two at 10:50 with the third and final race of the day taking place at 16:30. As always, all the action from the weekend will be available to watch through the one-hour highlights programme broadcast on ITV4 one week after the meeting.
BRDC British Formula 3 Championship in association with Duo standings – Top-10 after race three
1. Enaam Ahmed, Douglas Motorsport, 81 points
2. Lando Norris, Carlin, 74 points
3. Toby Sowery, Lanan Racing, 70 points
4. Aleksanteri Huovinen, Double R Racing, 64 points
5. Matheus Leist, Double R Racing, 57 points
6. Sisa Ngebulana, HHC Motorsport, 43 points
7. Enzo Bortoleto, Double R Racing, 36 points
=. Thomas Maxwell, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, 36 points
9. Ricky Collard, Carlin, 32 points
=. Thomas Randle, Douglas Motorsport, 32 points
For more information on the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship, visit www.britishf3.com.
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