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The second half of the British F3 season begins on the glorious Grand Prix circuit at Brands Hatch with the prospect of a down to the wire battle for the most coveted Formula 3 title in the world. The calibre of the entry for the 2008 season is so high that there have been eight different race winners from the first twelve races and the top four drivers are split by just ten points. Formula 3 is the last multi chassis/engine championship before F1 and the competitive nature of the series has been underlined by wins this year for Dallara, Mygale, Mercedes and Mugen-Honda.

Mexico’s Sergio Perez has won three races this season, including a double win at Monza in May, and currently holds a slim one point lead at the top of the championship table. The reigning British F3 National Class Champion faltered at Rockingham but has bounced back with three points scoring finishes at Snetterton and at Thruxton.

Perez is being chased hard by Spain’s Jaime Alguersuari. The Red Bull Junior driver is one of the season’s most consistent point scorers, with a win at Oulton Park and five podium finishes in the last six races to his credit. The Formula Renault Euro Cup graduate is new to British circuits but that hasn’t hindered his title aspirations one bit.

The top British driver is Cumbrian Oliver Turvey, the Racing Steps Foundation backed driver enjoying one of his most competitive seasons. A win in the opening race at Oulton Park has been followed by four further podium finishes which has resulted in a strong challenge for the title, just nine points adrift of Perez. Turvey is also leading the standings for the Mirror.co.uk British F3 Challenge Cup which will be presented to the top British driver by the national media group at the end of the year.

Brendon Hartley is the second of the two Red Bull Junior drivers and the 18-year-old New Zealander was in danger of being overshadowed by his Spanish teammate before the last round at Thruxton. However Hartley responded to the pressure with two outstanding wins on the UK’s fastest road course circuit, moving him up the championship order to just 10 points off the lead.

Round 8 winner Sebastian Hohenthal is in his second full season of British F3 and the Swede hasn’t disappointed with his consistency on the track. he 2006 UK Formula Renault Champion has occasionally struggled to find a setup on his new Dallara but Hohenthal is certainly one to watch at Brands Hatch where he won his first British F3 race in 2007.

Finland’s Atte Mustonen is another driver that could return to the top step of the podium at Brands Hatch. As one of the pre season favourites for the title some may say his haul of just three podium finishes, including a win at Rockingham is disappointing, but consistent points scoring has kept the Finn in the hunt and he is just 19 points behind Perez for the title. With a maximum of 42 points on offer this weekend, things can change very quickly.

Marcus Ericsson is the first driver in the list not to have won a race yet this season but the reigning UK Formula BMW champion has shown again and again that he has the speed and determination necessary to win at this level. The 17-year-old Swede could break his duck this weekend on the full Grand Prix circuit.

Ireland’s Michael Devaney made British F3 history at Snetterton when he scored the first ever Formula 3 win for the new Mygale chassis and for his Ultimate Motorsport team, in a lights to flag victory. To prove it wasn’t a fluke, he repeated the performance in the second race from fourth on the grid.

Max Chilton has struggled to find his form in the last few races but the 17-year-old is nothing but determined to put his championship back on track on his home circuit here at Brands Hatch. Fastest laps, pole positions and podium finishes have marked Chilton out as a driver to watch in only his second full season of single seaters. Chilton is currently lying in second place in the Mirror.co.uk British F3 Challenge Cup, 35 points adrift of Oliver Turvey in the Mirror’s support for Britain’s new motor racing talent.

Other drivers to watch out for this weekend are Australian’s Sam Abay and John Martin. Abay has been steadily improving within the Carlin team and secured his best finish of the season so far with a fourth at Thruxton two weeks ago. Martin, the 2006 Australian Formula Ford Champion, also had a good outing at Thruxton and will be one to watch on a track that he rates as one of his favourites in the UK. Bedford’s Nick Tandy also has a liking for Brands after winning the Formula Ford Festival last year. A season best of fifth with the Mygale in Monza and a front row start at Snetterton has underlined his, and that of his JTR team, determination to compete on level terms at this extremely competitive category in their first year.

While the International Class drivers fight for overall honours in the spotlight, the National Class is no less of a competitive environment for aspiring drivers. Running the last generation of F3 chassis and powered by a standard Mugen-Honda engine, the National Class teams and drivers provide some exciting racing while having the potential to mix it with the more powerful International cars.

Welshman Andy Meyrick has set the standard this season, scoring seven wins in the first twelve races but a bad weekend in Monza and a non finish at Snetterton has allowed Kent’s Jay Bridger to close the gap to just nine points. Meyrick’s exploits on the track has enabled him to move up the points table for the Mirror.co.uk Challenge Cup and is currently the third top British driver, ahead of some of the International Class runners.

Double race winner Bridger has been a consistent visitor to the podium and the driver from Horsmonden is looking forward to benefiting form home advantage in his first British F3 races at Brands Hatch.

Hywel Lloyd is enjoying his first season of British F3 with his CF Racing team. The reigning BARC Formula Renault Champion has taken victory at the home of the Italian Grand Prix, Monza. Columbian Steven Guerrero is another driver who has adapted quickly to Formula 3, taking his first win at Thruxton last time out after a race long battle with Jay Bridger for the lead.

With twenty six of the world’s leading young drivers racing on one of Europe’s best circuits, sit back and enjoy the spectacle that is the British F3 International Series. You can catch the action again on Motors TV and Channel 4.

CLICK HERE to see the provisional event timetable

RD12: Hartley Doubles Up and Leads Home a Carlin 1-2-3

Brendon Hartley added a second win at Thruxton in Round 12 of the 2008 British F3 International Series with a lights to flag victory from pole position. The New Zealander finished just ahead of Carlin teammate Oliver Turvey, the Racing Steps Foundation backed driver keeping the leader honest for the entire 24-lap race. Jaime Alguesuari finished a great day for the Carlin team in third place. Steven Guerrero took his first National Class win with a fighting drive to the flag against Jay Bridger and it marks the first win in British F3 for a Columbian since Juan Pablo Montoya.

At the start it was almost a rerun of the first race with Oliver Turvey attacking his pole sitting teammate Brendon Hartley into the Complex for the first time, but the difference this time was the New Zealander held the advantage and covered the racing line. Beind them Nick Tandy passed Marcus Ericsson for third but unfortunately the two clashed at the Chicane, breaking the front wishbone on the Swedes Dallara and forcing both cars into retirement.

While at the front of the field Hartley was able to maintain a 0.5 sceond gap to Turvey other drivers were on the move. Sebastian Hohenthal passed John Martin on lap 3, with Henry Arundel and Philip Major moving up a place on the next lap.

In the National Class pole position holder Jay Bridger had a bad first lap, dropping behind Steven Guerrero but setting the scene for a titanic struggle for the Class lead. Andy Meyrick, who had started on the back row of the grid after a disaster in qualifying, was soon on the move and by lap 3 was tagged onto the back of the Guerrero / Bridger battle. For the next 10 laps this three way dog fight continued with none of the drivers making the mistake that would allow their rival an advantage.

Michael Devaney and Sergio Perez were also nose to tail for 4th place, with the Mexican snatching the place with an inside move at the Chicane on lap 9. At the front Hartley started to open up a small gap to Turvey, which had grown to 1.5 seconds by lap 13.

Sebastian Hohenthal was coming under pressure from John Martin and Atte Mustonen, the Australian overtaking the Swede on lap 12 and the Finn attempted the sam emove at the Chicane on the next lap. However the two cars collided and Mustonen was left stranded on the outside of the Chicane, bringing out the Safety Car and bunching the field back up.

The Safety Car stayed out until lap 17 when racing resumed with Hartley pulling away from Turvey and Alguersuari. Hohenthal also used the restart to retake 6th from Martin. With the chequered flag approaching the cars at the head of the field settled into rhythm. In the National Class the contrast couldn't be greater. Bridger had managed to find a way around the Columbian but Guerrero wasn't going to be denied his first win. The T Sport Dallara retook the lead on lap 20 and held it to the flag despite many attempts from the Englishman.

Brendon Hartley scored his second win of the day and his third British F3 win, ahead of Carlin teammates Oliver Turvey and Jamie Alguersuari. Sergio Perez finished 4th to leave Thruxton with a 1-point lead in the Championship over Alguersuari.

Channel 4 and Motors TV will be showning highlights from the two races at Thruxton in the coming weeks. Visit the TV pages on the Championship website at www.britishf3international.com for details.

CLICK HERE to see the Championship points after Round 12

Round 12 - Result

1 - 3 - Int - Brendon HARTLEY - NZL - Carlin Motorsport - 29:29.816 - 24 laps

2 - 17 - Int - Oliver TURVEY - GBR - Carlin Motorsport - +0.430s

3 - 4 - Int - Jaime ALGUERSUARI - ESP - Carlin Motorsport - +2.615s

4 - 9 - Int - Sergio PEREZ - MEX - T-Sport - +4.253s

5 - 16 - Int - Michael DEVANEY - IRL - Ultimate Motorsport - +4.724s

6 - 7 - Int - Sebastian HOHENTHAL - SWE - Fortec Motorsport - +5.389s

7 - 24 - Int - John MARTIN - AUS - Raikkonen Robertson Racing - +6.695s

8 - 6 - Int - Henry ARUNDEL - GBR - Raikkonen Robertson Racing - +7.750s

9 - 18 - Int - Sam ABAY - AUS - Carlin Motorsport - +8.552s

10 - 14 - Int - Philip MAJOR - CAN - Fortec Motorsport - +9.841s

11 - 2 - Int - Walter GRUBMULLER - AUT - Hitech Racing - +10.713s

12 - 1 - Int - Max CHILTON - GBR - Hitech Racing - +13.959s

13 - 53 - Nat - Steven GUERRERO - COL - T-Sport - +15.466s

14 - 50 - Nat - Jay BRIDGER - GBR - Fluid Motorsport Development - +15.876s

15 - 56 - Nat - Andrew MEYRICK - GBR - Carlin Motorsport - +17.325s

16 - 5 - Int - Viktor JENSEN - ISL - Nexa Racing - +22.308s

17 - 11 - Int - Alistair JACKSON - GBR - Ultimate Motorsport - +23.736s

18 - 54 - Nat - Kristjan EINAR - ISL - Carlin Motorsport - +24.451s

19 - 59 - Nat - Jordan WILLIAMS - GBR - Team Loctite - +28.592s

Not Classified

DNF - 26 - Int - Atte MUSTONEN - FIN - Raikkonen Robertson Racing - +12 laps

DNF - 12 - Int - Ricardo TEIXEIRA - ANG - Ultimate Motorsport - +17laps

DNF - 28 - Int - Nick TANDY - GBR - JTR Marshall Westland - +22 laps

DNF - 8 - Int - Marcus ERICSSON - SWE - Fortec Motorsport - +23 laps

DNF - 57 - Nat - Salman AL KHALIFA - BHR - T-Sport - +17 laps

DNF - 51 - Nat - Stefan WILSON - GBR - Fluid Motorsport Development - +17 laps

DNF - 52 - Nat - Hywel LLOYD - GBR - C F Racing - +23 laps

Fastest Lap

17 - Int - Oliver TURVEY - GBR - Carlin Motorsport - 01:07.113 - 126.37

56 - Nat - Andrew MEYRICK - GBR - Carlin Motorsport - 01:08.051 - 124.63

RD11: Hartley Blitzes Thruxton to Take Second Win of '08

Brendon Hartley took his second win of the 2008 British F3 International Series season with a mature drive that saw the New Zealander lose out at the start only to work his way back up to the front to control the race to the flag. Marcus Ericsson recorded his third podium finish of the year and took the fastest lap of the race, finishing ahead of top British driver Oliver Turvey. In the National Class the battle between Andy Meyrick and Jay Bridger went to the chequered flag with the two separated by less than a car length in one of the best races this year.

The start saw the three Carlin cars of Jaime Alguersuari, Brendon Hartley and Oliver Turvey get a good getaway and they were all side-by-side as they headed into Allard for the first time. Everyon eheld their breath but Brendon Hartley elected to back off to avoid his teammates and this allowed Oliver Turvey to take the lead, ahead of Alguersuari and Hartley, who had the Dallara of John Martin right on his rear wing as they headed down to Club Chicane. Martin went around the outside of the New Zealander to take 3rd place as they crossed the line, but it didn't last long and Hartley had regained the place by the end of lap 2.

Turvey was holding the lead despite some heavy pressure from Alguersuari, who was now being caught by the recovering Hartley. The #3 Red Bull Dallara swet past the Spaniard on lap 3. Further back Marcus Ericsson was on the move in the Fortec Motorsport Dallara regaining the place he lost to Martin on the opening lap and then on lap 5 moved ahead of the Alguersuari, who was clearly struggling with the hadling of his car.

Brendon Hartley was now on the tail of the leader and it was only a matter of time before Turvey would have to give way. On lap 7 Hartley was close enough as they approached the final Chicane to dive down the inside of the Racing Steps Foundation backed car to sweep into the lead of the race. Turvey then had to defend had from the charging Ericsson, allowing the new leader to open up a small gap at the front of the field. Ericsson made his move on Turvey at the Chicane on lap 9 to move into 2nd place and the young Swede set off after Hartley.

In the National Class Andy Meyrick was able to hold his lead as the International Class cars moved ahead but this allowed Jay Bridger to close up on the leader and by the halfway point of the 24 lap race the two cars were nose to tail, with Steven Guerrero closing up to join in a three way battle for class honours.

Meanwhile back at the front Hartley was able to maintain a 1.5 second lead over Ericsson, who held a similar gap to third placed Turvey. Jaime Alguersuari lost another place as Sam Abay, who was enjoying his best race of the year so far, moved into 4th place with an inside move at the Chicane. The Spaniard clearly had a problem as he was caught and passed by Sebatian Hohenthal and then Sergio Perez and Atte Mustonen. The reason became clear on the next lap as he came into the pits with a puncture to his front left tyre, Alguersuari climbing out of the cockpit to retire.

Mustonen and Perez were having their own battle for 6th, with the Finn moving ahead a few laps from home. Meyrick and Bridger were still at it for the lead of the National Class and on lap 22 Bridger made a challenge at the Complex but Meyrick held his nerve and his place. Bridger never gave up and tried again on the last lap at the Club Chicane but once again it wasn't to be.

Brendon Hartley saw the chequered flag and saluted his Carlin teammates who lined the pitwall. Hartley finished 2.2 seconds ahead of Marcus Ericsson and a further four second in front of Oliver Turvey. Australian Sam Abay brought his Carlin Dallara home in 4th to record his best finish in British F3.

ROUND 11 - Result

1 - 3 - Int - Brendon HARTLEY - NZL - Carlin Motorsport - 27:09.455 - 24laps

2 - 8 - Int - Marcus ERICSSON - SWE - Fortec Motorsport - +2.296s

3 - 17 - Int - Oliver TURVEY - GBR - Carlin Motorsport - +6.587s

4 - 18 - Int - Sam ABAY - AUS - Carlin Motorsport - +8.202s

5 - 7 - Int - Sebastian HOHENTHAL - SWE - Fortec Motorsport - +13.799s

6 - 26 - Int - Atte MUSTONEN - FIN - Raikkonen Robertson Racing - +15.926s

7 - 9 - Int - Sergio PEREZ - MEX - T-Sport - +17.088s

8 - 28 - Int - Nick TANDY - GBR - JTR Marshall Westland - +19.154s

9 - 16 - Int - Michael DEVANEY - IRL - Ultimate Motorsport - +22.081s

10 - 6 - Int - Henry ARUNDEL - GBR - Raikkonen Robertson Racing - +26.201s

11 - 2 - Int - Walter GRUBMULLER - AUT - Hitech Racing - +3.505s

12 - 56 - Nat - Andrew MEYRICK - GBR - Carlin Motorsport - +35.122s

13 - 50 - Nat - Jay BRIDGER - GBR - Fluid Motorsport Development - +35.727s

14 - 1 - Int - Max CHILTON - GBR - Hitech Racing - +37.403s

15 - 53 - Nat - Steven GUERRERO - COL - T-Sport - +39.443s

16 - 14 - Int - Philip MAJOR - CAN - Fortec Motorsport - +41.383s

17 - 24 - Int - John MARTIN - AUS - Raikkonen Robertson Racing - +54.970s

18 - 54 - Nat - Kristjan EINAR - ISL - Carlin Motorsport - +57.869s

19 - 52 - Nat - Hywel LLOYD - GBR - C F Racing - +58.417s

20 - 59 - Nat - Jordan WILLIAMS - GBR - Team Loctite - +01:09.0

21 - 51 - Nat - Stefan WILSON - GBR - Fluid Motorsport Development - +01:20.0

22 - 5 - Int - Viktor JENSEN - ISL - Nexa Racing - +2 laps

23 - 57 - Nat - Salman AL KHALIFA - BHR - T-Sport - +3 laps

Not Classified

DNF - 4 - Int - Jaime ALGUERSUARI - ESP - Carlin Motorsport - + 6 laps

DNF - 11 - Int - Alistair JACKSON - GBR - Ultimate Motorsport - +9 laps

DNF - 12 - Int - Ricardo TEIXEIRA - ANG - Ultimate Motorsport - +15 laps

Fastest Lap

8 - Int - Marcus ERICSSON - SWE - Fortec Motorsport - 1:07.228 - 126.16 mph

50 - Nat - Jay BRIDGER - GBR - Fluid Motorsport Development - 1:08.140 - 124.47 mph

A turbulent race at the Norisring - Maiden victory for Vietoris

At the 2.3 kilometres long Norisring in Nuremberg, Christian Vietoris (Mücke Motorsport) scored his maiden victory in the Formula 3 Euro Series. After 18 laps, the Mücke driver finished ahead of Canadian, Robert Wickens, who raced at the Norisring for the first time, and Edoardo Mortara (both Signature-Plus). In the points’ standings, Mortara extended his lead to 15 points. The runner-up in the standings, Nico Hülkenberg (ART Grand Prix) retired early after a collision with Martin Plowman (R.C. Motorsport).

The race had a turbulent start. On the first lap already, Jon Lancaster (ART Grand Prix) and Edoardo Mortara collided in the Grundig hairpin and the 21-year old Italian spun. This led to a pile-up of several cars, after which the clerk of the course interrupted the race for 22 minutes. After the re-start, Erik Janis (Mücke Motorsport) took the lead, but only held it for three laps. Then, he was overtaken by his team-mate Christian Vietoris. The 19-year old safely drove victory home. As another accident happened in the Grundig hairpin in the closing stages, the race was stopped early. This time, James Jakes (ART Grand Prix) had pushed Spaniard Daniel Campos-Hull (HBR Motorsport) into a spin and Richard Philippe (Carlin Motorsport) couldn’t avoid them. As less than half the planned race distance was completed due to the interruption, only half points were given.

Christian Vietoris (Mücke Motorsport): “Today, I had a good start, but then, the race was interrupted. After the re-start, it took a while before my tyres were warm. After that, I was able to overtake and claim my first win. Today, I had luck, but the title is still a long way to go.”

Robert Wickens (Signature-Plus): “Being on the podium in my fourth race already is incredible. Hopefully, it will go on like this and I can still score many points. The Norisring suits my driving style very well.“

Edoardo Mortara (Signature-Plus): “That was the hardest race in my life. It is almost a miracle that my front wing didn’t break. I was really lucky today, things were running perfectly for me.”

Air temperature: 26.2 °C
Asphalt temperature: 33.0 °C

RD12 QUALIFYING: Hartley Charges to Second Thruxton Pole for Red Bull

Brendon Hartley improved on his front row position for Round 11 to take pole position for Round 12 of the 2008 British F3 International Series at Thruxton, the New Zealander finishing 0.035 seconds ahead of his Carlin teammate Oliver Turvey and Sweden's Marcus Ericsson. Jay Bridger secured his second National Class pole of the year after Andy Meyrick fell off the track early in the session, leaving the Welshman languishing back in 25th place.

With tyre wear still a worry to all the teams, many of the drivers elected to stay in the pitlane for the first part of the 30-minute qualifying session. Of this on track Atte Mustonen was the quickest driver with his Double R teammate John Martin in second. With five minutes of the session complete Jay Bridger put his National Class Dallara at the top of the time sheetd witha lap of 1m07.493 but it wasn't long before he was bumped by a more powerful International Class car as John Martin staked his claim to the top slot.

National Class championship leader was circulating at the head of the National Class timesheet when disaster struck and the Dallara slide off the track and became beached in a dangerous position bringing out the red flags.

The stricken Dallara was quickly cleared by the marshals and the qualifying session resumed. More cars joined in and it was Sam Abay who made the early running with a lap of 1m07.215s, but the Australian soon lost out to Sergio Perez, who went a tenth faster. The time scontinued to tumble with Mustonen becoming the first driver in the sub 1minute 07 lap but it wasn't long before he was demoted by Nick Tandy and then Brendon Hartley in quick succession.

As the session entered its final stages it was Hartley from Turvey and Ericsson at the front of the field for the start of Round 12 of the 2008 British F3 International Series, which is due to get underway at 15:40 tomorrow.

ROUND 10 QUALIFYING: provisional result

1 - 3 - INT - Brendon HARTLEY - NZL - 1m06.695

2 - 17 - INT - Oliver TURVEY - GBR - +0.035s

3 - 8 - INT - Marcus ERICSSON - SWE - +0.046s

4 - 28 - INT - Nick TANDY - GBR - +0.130s

5 - 26 - INT - Atte MUSTONEN - FIN - +0.143s

6 - 9 - INT - Sergio PEREZ - MEX - +0.153s

7 - 4 - INT - Jaime ALGUERSUARI - ESP - +0.256s

8 - 24 - INT - John MARTIN - AUS - +0.289s

9 - 7 - INT - Sebastian HOHENTHAL - SWE - +0.330s

10 - 16 - INT - Michael DEVANEY - IRL - +0.408s

11 - 18 - INT - Sam ABAY - AUS - +0.502s

12 - 6 - INT - Henry ARUNDEL - GBR - +0.558s

13 - 1 - INT - MAx CHILTON - GBR - +0.675s

14 - 14 - INT - Philip MAJOR - CAN - +0.763s

15 - 5- NAT - Jay BRIDGER - GBR - +0.798s

16 - 2 - INT - Walter GRUBMÜLLER - AUT - +0.858s

17 - 53 - NAT - Steven GUERRERO - COL - +1.115s

18 - 12 - INT - Ricardo TEIXEIRA - ANG - +1.115s

19 - 11 - INT - Alistair JACKSON - GBR - +1.157s

20 - 51 - NAT - Stefan WILSON - GBR - +1.266s

21 - 57 - NAT - Salman AL KHALIFA - BHR

22 - 5 - INT - Viktor JENSEN - ISL -

23 - 54 - NAT - Kristjan EINAR - ISL

24 - 52 - NAT - Hywel LLOYD - GBR

25 - 56 - NAT - Andy MEYRICK - GBR

26 - 59 - NAT - Jordan WILLIAMS - GBR

Hülkenberg unbeatable at Norisring

At the 2.3 kilometres long Norisring, Nico Hülkenberg (ART Grand Prix) celebrated his second season victory in the Formula 3 Euro Series. The 20-year old test driver of the Williams Formula 1 team won with a margin of 6.651 seconds over Koudai Tsukakoshi (Manor Motorsport), who came second. Behind Jean-Karl Vernay (Signature-Plus), the points leader, Italian Edoardo Mortara (Signature-Plus) took the chequered flag in fourth place. After his victory, Hülkenberg moved up to second in the points’ standings.

At the start, Mika Mäki (Mücke Motorsport) outpaced Hülkenberg, who had started from pole. However, under braking before the Grundig-hairpin, the Finn missed his braking point and the German went past. A few metres later, Mäki collided with rookie driver, Jules Bianchi (ART Grand Prix). Both drivers retired.

From that time on, Hülkenberg’s victory was never in jeopardy, just like Tsukakoshi’s second place. Vernay, on the other hand, only moved up into a podium position on lap 13, when he overtook Rodolfo Gonzalez (Carlin Motorsport) in the battle for third place. For the Frenchman, it was his first podium of the season.

Nico Hülkenberg (ART Grand Prix): “Today, it is a great day for me with this perfect result. I have scored many points. It would be perfect when I could also score many points tomorrow. Of course, now I am happy. The team gave me a perfect car again. The experience of my ART team just becomes clear, they have been unbeaten here at Norisring since 2005.”

Koudai Tsukakoshi (Manor Motorsport): “I had a good start and benefited from the collision in front of me. I had a little lack of grip and this is why Nico Hülkenberg today was just too quick for me. Tomorrow, I will be starting seventh and a podium finish is my goal.”

Jean-Karl Vernay (Signature-Plus): “Finally, I have made it on the podium this year. That was very important for me. Hopefully, this is a boost for many more podium places in the races to come.”

RD11 QUALIFYING: Alguersuari heads Carlin 1-2-3

Championship leader Jaime Alguersuari took his 4th pole position of the season in qualifying for Round 11 of the British F3 International Series at Thruxton, heading Carlin teammates Brendon Hartley and Oliver Turvey, the three drivers split by just thirty seven hundredths of a second. It was double joy for Carlin as Andy Meyrick took his 9th pole position in the National Class, qualifying 10th overall.

Teams and drivers had concerns about tyre wear on the UK's fastest road course circuit and many of the cars sat in the pits while other went out on Avon wets to get a look at the circuit before switching to slicks. The early pace was made by the slick shod National Class runners, with Jay Bridger posting a 1m08.517 lap just ahead of his Fluid Motorsport teammate Stefan Wilson.

Sergio Perez was the first of the top runners to make his move posting the fastest lap with 10 minutes of the session completed and the young Mexican improved his time on the next two laps, finishing up with a 1m07.192 as first Sebastian Hohenthal, then Oliver Turvey and then John Martin joined him on the provisional front row of the grid.

At the half way point of the qualifying session Oliver Turvey bounced to the top of the time sheets with a 1m97.023 but Jaime Alguersuari was on the move, posting the fastest sector times before crossing the line in 1m06.821, 0.006 seconds faster than the British F3 lap record held by Atte Mustonen.

Brendon Hartley also posted a demon lap with just 11 minutes remaining to move into second place making it an all Red Bull front row, the first since Oulton Park at Easter. Oliver Turvey improved but stayed in 3rd place just 0.037 behind the Spanish pole sitter.

The times settled down, with very few drivers improving and electing to return to the pits. The main exception was Marcus Ericsson, the Swede moving ahead of John Martin to take 4th in the final few minutes of qualifying.

Andy Meyrick was the fastest National Class runner in 10th place, five places further up the grid from second placed Jay Bridger and a further four places in front of third placed Stefan Wilson.

ROUND 11 QUALIFYING - Provisional Result

1 - 4 - INT - Jaime ALGUERSUARI - ESP - 1:06.821

2 - 3 - INT - Brendon HARTLEY - NZL - +0.025s

3 - 17 - INT - Oliver TURVEY - GBR - +0.037s

4 - 8 - INT - Marcus ERICSSON - SWE - +0.112s

5 - 24 - INT - John MARTIN - AUS - +0.265s

6 - 9 - INT - Sergio PEREZ - MEX - +0.315s

7 - 18 - INT - Sam ABAY - AUS - +0.374s

8 - 16 - INT - Michael DEVANEY - IRL - +0.410s

9 - 28 - INT - Nick TANDY - GBR - +0.632s

10 - 56 - NAT - Andy MEYRICK - GBR - +0.645s

11 - 7 - INT - Sebastian HOHENTHAL - SWE - +0.710s

12 - 26 - INT - Atte MUSTONEN - FIN - +0.935s

13 - 6 - INT - Henry ARUNDEL - GBR - +0.982s

14 - 2 - INT - Walter GRUBMÜLLER - AUT - +1.047s

15 - 50 - NAT - Jay BRIDGER - GBR - +1.075s

16 - 1 - INT - Max CHILTON - GBR - +1.093s

17 - 12 - INT - Ricardo TEIXEIRA - ANG - +1.112s

18 - 11 - INT - Alistair JACKSON - GBR - +1.340s

19 - 51 - NAT - Stefan WILSON - GBR - +1.378s

20 - 14 - INT - Philip MAJOR - CAN - +1.398s

21 - 53 - NAT - Stephen GUERRERO - COL -

22 - 5 - INT - Viktor JENSEN - ISL -

23 - 57 - NAT - Salman AL KHALIFA - BHR -

24 - 54 - NAT - Kristjan EINAR - ISL -

25 - 52 - NAT - Hywel LLOYD - GBR -

26 - 59 - NAT - Jordan WILLIAMS - GBR -

Third pole of the season for Hülkenberg at the Norisring

Nico Hülkenberg (ART Grand Prix, 0:48.696 min) was the fastest of the 29 drivers in qualifying of the Formula 3 Euro Series at the 2.3 kilometres long Norisring, The test driver of the Williams Formula 1 team will be starting from pole position for tomorrow’s seventh season round. For the German, it was already his third pole position of the season. Mika Mäki (Mücke Motorsport, 0:48.737 min), Koudai Tsukakoshi (Manor Motorsport, 0:48.822 min) and James Jakes (ART Grand Prix, 0:48.946 min) ended up second to fourth in qualigying, Jules Bianchi (ART Grand Prix, 0:48.978 min) was best-placed rookie in fifth place.

Seven minutes before the end of the session, Hülkenberg claimed the top position. Soon after that, he improved his own fastest lap time again. At that time, he was almost 0.3 seconds clear of second place. In the final stages, Mika Mäki still came close with his personal best time, but Hülkenberg retained his first position. Mäki was able to outpace Japanese driver Tsukakoshi, who had been second up to that point.

After one third of the session, qualifying was interrupted for a few minutes. Christian Vietoris (Mücke Motorsport, 0:49.557 min) had hit a wall and his car had to be towed away. Eventually, the Mücke driver was classified only 27th.

Nico Hülkenberg (ART Grand Prix): “Finding a clear lap with 29 cars and making no mistakes was not easy at all. However, at the Norisring, pole position doesn’t mean as much as at other circuits. After all, here it is fairly easy to overyake. The additional point is the most valuable at Norisring.“

Mika Mäki (Mücke Motorsport): “At the start of qualifying, it didn’t go well at all. I didn’t have a good feeling and I was stuck in traffic all the time. Things only got better towards the end. I gave everything and two laps before the end, I made it into second place.”

Koudai Tsukakoshi (Manor Motorsport): “For me, it is the first time at the Norisring. Braking is particularly important here. Initially, my car was really good. I slightly clipped the wall with my second set of tyres and after that, handling was affected a little but. But generally, I am happy with my third place.”

Air temperature: 23.5 °C
Asphalt temperature: 29.5 °C

ART Grand Prix with three drivers in front

Free practice at the 2.3 kilometres long Norisring was marked by a fascinating battle between the drivers of the Formula 3 Euro Series. Eventually, Nico Hülkenberg (ART Grand Prix, 0:49.411 min) came out on top. Behind him, Jules Bianchi (ART Grand Prix, 0:49.516 min) and James Jakes (ART Grand Prix, 0:49.573 min) completed the triple success for ART. A total of 26 drivers ranked within one second with their respective fastest lap times.

During the one-hour session, some drivers swapped places on top of the leaderboard. After a quarter of an hour, Jules Bianchi was on top, but soon after, Richard Philippe (Carlin Motorsport, 0:49.711 min) took the lead. The Frenchman was involved in a battle for the leading position with Nico Hülkenberg, which eventually was decided in favour of the German. Hülkenberg was in the lead at the halfway-mark.

A few minutes later, Hülkenberg’s team-mate James Jakes was the first driver to lap under 50 seconds. However, his lead wasn’t to last long either: firstly, he was outpaced by Bianchi and then by Koudai Tsukakoshi (Manor Motorsport, 0:49.644 min) and Hülkenberg. With ten minutes remaining, the French rookie improved his own fastest lap time to 0:49.677 minutes.
However, it wasn’t enough for him: almost at the same time, Nico Hülkenberg and James Jakes outpaced their team mate. While Bianchi steered into the pit lane, he was beaten by Dani Clos (Prema Powerteam, 0:49.613 min) and Tsukakoshi as well.

With five minutes left, Hülkenberg was in the lead from Jakes, Clos, Tsukakoshi and Bianchi. In the closing stages, the leading German was able to improve his own best time once more, while his two main rivals Jakes and Clos entered the pit lane three minutes before the end of the session. However, the Spaniard didn’t give up yet, he started another attempt. However, it wasn’t enough for a successful attack at the fastest lap time. Instead, he lost another position to Jules Bianchi who moved up into second.

After 60 minutes, the final order was Hülkenberg from Bianchi, Jakes, Clos, Tsukakoshi, Christian Vietoris (Mücke Motorsport, 0:49.651 min), Philippe and Jon Lancaster (ART Grand Prix, 0:49.755 min). Series’ returnee, Stefano Coletti (Prema Powerteam, 0:51.017 min), who took the place left vacant by Charlie Kimball at the Prema Powerteam after having missed one race weekend ended up last.

“It was good. My car felt well and it was fun. Now, we only have to repeat this in this afternoon’s qualifying”, said Nico Hülkenberg, delighted with his first position. His team-mate Jules Bianchi, who has never raced at the Norisring before, was also happy: “Nico was only fastest in the first corner”. Bianchi’s impression of the track is as follows: “It isn’t easy and very bumpy. Because the track is so short, being better isn’t easy. When you look at how close all the lap times are here, that becomes clear, too.”
Fourth-placed Dani Clos intends to attack: “This was only free practice, the times don’t mean a lot. But we have done a good job and my clear goal for qualifying is pole position. I think this could be possible here.”

Four from another world

The world is moving closer together - and this diversity of nationalities also is reflected by the ATS Formula 3 Cup grid. The past eight races were contested by 31 drivers from 17 nations from the most different countries. Among them even drivers from four nations that had never been involved in a German Formula 3 series, to date: Hamad Al Fardan from Bahrain, the Ukraine’s Sergey Chukanov, Colombian Sebastian Saavedra and Satrio Hermanto from Indonesia. Each of these countries isn’t exactly what you would call a typical motor-racing nation, consequently, establishing in professional motor racing represents a particularly difficult task, for the four drivers.

In the case of Hamad Al Fardan, the motor-racing enthusiasm was sparked by his father who competed in rallies and auto-cross events. Al Fardan entered karting at the age of six and kept on racing karts for the following eight years. Then, however, he couldn’t continue his motor-racing career in his native Bahrain. “Motor sport isn’t well established in Bahrain,” reveals the 20-year old. “Therefore, I opted for contesting the Asian Formula BMW in the following two years.” Afterwards, he continued racing abroad by competing - inter alia - in New Zealand and the British Formula 3 Championship. In Bahrain, motor racing only attracted attention by dint of the new Formula One circuit. “Three or four years ago, the people weren’t very interested in motor sport,” says Al Fardan. “But now, they slowly start to understand the fascination it’s emanating.” At the same time, finding sponsors still is difficult. In the meantime, a small motor-racing scene has established, there, but racing on a truly professional level still is impossible.

Sergey Chukanov also had to cope with anything but perfect conditions, in his native Ukraine. Particularly when it comes to permanent race tracks. “Rallying is established rather well,” says the young gun, “But we have got just one circuit for car racing.” While karting is getting more and more popular. And karting also represented the first step of Chukanov’s career. “A friend of my father had a kart in his garage and I absolutely wanted to test driving this kart,” recalls the 20-year old. “Both my father and I had big fun and consequently, we opted for entering professional karting.” But Chukanov also had to soon start racing abroad. And the same applied to the search for sponsors. “You can’t find sponsors in the Ukraine,” he reveals, “And that’s why mine is coming from Russia.”

While Sebastian Saavedra enjoyed a minor motor-racing bonus, at least. Thanks to former Formula 1 ace Juan Pablo Montoya, the Colombian’s have got some interest in the sport - but football is dominating everything, nevertheless. Therefore, the opportunities for making a career as motor racer are limited in Colombia, too. “I made my first outing on a kart track at the age of nine and proved to be quick right away,” says Saavedra. “And soon afterwards, I entered serious motor racing.” To do so, he also had to race more and more abroad. “From 2003, I was travelling a lot. First of all to Brazil and the USA. And in 2006, I entered the Formula BMW USA.” Later, he even raced in the Formula BMW Germany. “Currently, there are just four Colombian drivers competing in international motor racing,” concludes Saavedra.

Formula 1 also represents the ultimate goal for Indonesia’s Satrio Hermanto. “I’d love to race there myself, sometime,” the 24-year old carefully says. In 1995, he started karting and proved to be successful right from the start. In 1998, he opted for switching to touring-car racing, a category offering him the chance of continuing his career in his native Indonesia. In 2000, however, he switched to single-seater racing. And just as the three aforementioned drivers, he also had to start travelling to do so. The highlight of his career to date was to have been signed as driver for the Indonesian A1 GP squad. “My compatriots love the A1 GP series as it helps to make their county better known and more popular,” he reveals. “For them, the series is nearly as popular as football.” Nonetheless, an established motor-racing culture doesn’t exist in Indonesia. On the other hand, the nation offers young drivers the opportunity to make their very first steps on the motor-racing ladder at home. “We have got a karting scene, touring-car and motorbike racing,” says Hermanto. “Single-seater racing, however, does not yet exist.”

In consideration of the situations in there home countries, the four ATS Formula 3 Cup drivers have experienced quite a lot, during the course of their careers to date, and had to make several sacrifices on the way to realising their dream: to become professional racing drivers. And they couldn’t rely on a structure as well established as in Germany. Therefore, the ATS Formula 3 Cup represents the perfect platform and the great chance, for them.

German Monaco a challenge for the Formula 3 Euro Series drivers

This weekend, the Formula 3 Euro Series drivers will have to prove their skills on Nuremberg’s Norisring, representing the second season highlight following the event held on Pau’s tight street circuit. Because of its special atmosphere and the location next to the ‘Dutzendteich’, the 2.3-kilometre Norisring also is called “The German Monaco”. Italy’s Edoardo Mortara (Signature-Plus) will travel to Nuremberg as championship leader, with rookie Mika Mäki (Mücke Motorsport) from Finland and the Netherlands’ Renger van der Zande (Prema Powerteam) following close behind.

For Mortara, the season so far ran really well. In five of the six races contested to date, the young man from Geneva made it to the podium. In France, he secured his first win of the season, thus giving Volkswagen their maiden Formula 3 Euro Series win at the same time. While all the other five wins were clinched with Mercedes-Benz power. Mika Mäki, runner-up in the championship and leader in the rookie ranking, is the only driver who succeeded celebrating two race wins, this season. And the Norisring suits the Finn particularly well: to date, the Finn contested for car races in Nuremberg and claimed victory in three of these races.
Following a one-race weekend break, rookie Stefano Coletti (Prema Powerteam) also is back on the Formula 3 Euro Series grid. The Monegasque replaces previous Prema Powerteam driver Charlie Kimball (USA) who unexpectedly lost a sponsor.

Nico Hülkenberg (ART Grand Prix): “The Norisring always suited me well. No other track on our calendar offers as good overtaking opportunities as this circuit. Furthermore, the atmosphere in the paddock erected next to the Dutzendteich is unique. It’s my goal to keep my error rate in the race as low as possible. In a perfect world, the result would be a race win but scoring as the highest possible number of points is far more important.”

The Formula 3 Euro Series is covered live or re-live in 20 countries. Furthermore, Formula 3 Euro Series race résumés are broadcasted in numerous countries.

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