The four Red Bull Juniors arrive at the British Grand Prix venue following vastly different weekends at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Clearly, Dennis Hauger, the 17-year-old Norwegian, is on a roll after two fast paced races at the Hungaroring culminated in his first trip to the podium in the FIA F3 series.
Fellow Hitech driver Liam Lawson’s Hungaroring experience shared little with Hauger’s, except for potential race winning pace, as the 18-year-old New Zealander left with no points through no fault of his own.
Plenty of pace too from Jack Doohan and Igor Fraga but they also need a change in fortune for the results to come.
Hauger has the momentum
FIA F3 Championship position: 12th – 14 points – after 6 races
“We left Hungary with plenty of positives to carry into Silverstone,” explains Hauger. “The pace was there, it was great to lead Race 2 and from the start the pace was mega. It went away as the laps added up and the tyres went away but I think we should be right there at the British Grand Prix.”
“I’ve just done the full circuit once, when I was a guest driver in Euroformula last year. That was the only F3 race I did, so I have a bit of experience from that. I would say it will be different with the FIA F3 car but at least I know something. I am looking forward to race there, it is of course the team’s home track I would say and I am expecting a good weekend.”
Lawson ready for a new start
FIA F3 Championship position: 8th – 25 points – after 6 races
“We just have to leave what happened in the Hungarian races behind,” stated Lawson. “At the end of the day I can just be happy that I did everything that I could in both races and the technical problems are outside of my control.”
“We know that there are things that we do control that we have to improve. We have to do a better job of Qualifying, we have to do that as a team. We need to get the tyre turned on so that I can get the lap time in and I have to absolutely deliver.”
“It’s going to be cool to have two weekends, 4 races, at Silverstone. That’s kind of our home track, my home away from home,” stated the Kiwi who already has a 2020 win from Race 2 in the opening round at the Red Bull Ring.
Doohan will start a roll
FIA F3 Championship position: 25th – 0 points – after 6 races
“I
think that we now have a good car both for the wet and the dry,” states
17-year-old Australian Doohan. “We are three rounds in and obviously I
would have liked to have started with that a bit earlier in the
championship. But at least I hope that we can start our roll, going into
the next triple header at Silverstone and be fighting for the top spot.
I genuinely think that we have the pace to win.”
“I was at Silverstone in British F4 but not the Grand Prix circuit.
Still I’ve got 45 minutes to learn it so it should be OK,” concludes
the HWA driver with a chuckle.
Fraga up for the challenge
FIA F3 Championship position: 22nd – 0 points – after 6 races
“I
have never been there before but the team were good last year in
Silverstone,” states the Charouz driver referring to their 8th and 9th
in Race 2. “I think I will enjoy it, I will keep the concentration on
and as always try to do my best.”
“On the sim I like both Silverstone and Spa, the next tracks. I have
never driven them in real life but I have done a lot of time at both on
the sim so I am very much looking forward to visiting those tracks. Of
course I very much understand the difference between sim experience and
real life experience,” the 21-year-old Brazilian points out.
Silverstone weekend schedule – all times BST (CEST -1)
Friday 31st July
09:35 – Practice (45 minutes)
14:05 – Qualifying (30 minutes)
Saturday 1st August
09:25 – Race 1 (20 laps)
Sunday 2nd August
08:45 – Race 2 (20 laps)
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