Brit F3: Round Five preview: Snetterton

The British F3 championship heads to Snetterton this weekend with series leader Daniel Ricciardo looking for a return to winning ways.

Having won three of the opening four races this season, the Australian, who turns 20 this week, has failed to finish on the podium since and seen his sizable margin at the top of the standings whittled down to just 15 points.

"In the last four races I haven't even got on to the podium," he said, "so the first goal is to get back up there. But I think that we will really have the pace at Snetterton to get back on to the top step: that's definitely my aim for the weekend."

Ricciardo’s poor run of results has coincided with Hitech’s emergence as a force to be reckoned with. Both Renger van der Zande and Walter Grubmuller have proven consistent frontrunners since Silverstone back in May, with the latter’s maiden F3 win at Hockenheim last time out promoting the Austrian up to second in the standings.  And it’s a threat that Ricciardo recognizes will be present again in Norfolk after seeing Grubmuller go fastest in testing there last week.

"Hitech's recent form has been very good," he confirmed, "so I would think that Grubmüller and Renger van der Zande will probably be my strongest opposition, along of course with my Carlin team mates. We found some good things in testing, and perhaps there are a few more to come. I've been training hard, really putting in quite a bit of effort to get back on top. And my mother and father are over from Australia, so hopefully a bit more support will get me over the line and it should be a good weekend." 

Double R will be another team looking to build on recent good results. New recruit Marcus Ericsson has been scintillating since his return to the championship at Rockingham and will spearhead the team’s assault alongside Carlos Huertas and Daisuke Nakajima.

Ricciardo’s team mate Max Chilton perhaps offers the best hope of a homegrown winner. The Carlin Motorsport driver clearly has the pace, having wrapped up pole position three times already this season, although race day luck has continually evaded him. Compatriot Nick Tandy meanwhile took his first win at Rockingham, although a repeat performance is unlikely thanks to the fast nature of Snetterton not altogether suiting his Mygale.

There's a superb four-way battle going on in the National Class also, headed currently by Fortec racer Daniel McKenzie, who's won the class five times from eight. His usual sparring partner is T-Sport driver Gabriel Dias; they have duelled closely in nearly every race.

The Norfolk-based Litespeed team and its Brazilian driver Victor Correa claimed the first National Class race win for the SLC chassis at Hockenheim, after Dias and McKenzie went out of the race; a repeat performance on home ground would be a major boost for Litespeed. The fourth man in the National class is Russian Max Snegirev, who returns for Team West-Tec after missing the German races.

Catch British F3 coverage on Motors TV throughout 2009.


Tom Hornsby