Felix took what he could from the opening FIA Formula 3 European Championship race of the season, rising from 14th on the grid to ninth by the chequered flag as the new campaign got underway at Silverstone on Saturday morning.
Finding himself in the thick of the midfield following yesterday’s qualifying disappointment, Felix took the fight from the start, getting away well off the line and completing the first lap in tenth place despite a small clash with Spike Goddard (ThreeBond with T-Sport) as the pair went into Stowe.
He then did what he could to make further progress, eventually passing Brazil’s Felipe Guimaraes (Double R Racing) at Brooklands following a safety car period to grab ninth. He would keep his position across the line to get himself onto the 2014 scoreboard, lending some consolation for what has so far been a challenging weekend.
The outcome, ironically, marked a slightly stronger start to the season than that enjoyed by Felix in 2013, when he was forced to retire from the opening race at Monza after clashing with Tom Blomqvist – who won today’s race from pole position.
Felix will start this afternoon’s second race from 13th on the grid, eyeing another points finish.
FELIX:
“An OK race considering where we came from. There wasn’t a lot more I could have done from 14th on the grid, and we’ve at least got ourselves some points. It goes without saying that ninth is less than we expected going into the weekend, but we simply have to accept where we are and keep working as hard as we can. We have taken a small step forward compared to yesterday, and we now need to analyse this race more thoroughly to try and make further improvements for this afternoon.”
RESULTS (top ten):
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1 | Tom Blomqvist | 18 laps | |
2 | Esteban Ocon | +2.107 | |
3 | Jordan King | +3.052 | |
4 | Antonio Fuoco | +4.624 | |
5 | Lucas Auer | +8.504 | |
6 | Nicholas Latifi | +11.287 | |
7 | Felix Serralles | +12.447 | |
8 | Ed Jones | +13.578 | |
9 | Felix Rosenqvist | +14.131 | |
10 | Felipe Guimaraes | +17.708 |