British F3 news
Arundel looks back at tough weekend
08 June 2009British F3 racer Henry Arundel fought back from a tough outing in the fourth event of the 2009 Cooper Tires British F3 Series today, to take some points home following a ninth place in race two. The British racer recovered from a substantial crash in free practice to leave the Hockenheim circuit in Germany with two more points to add to his tally.
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Following his impressive second place finish last weekend in Rockingham, Arundel arrived at Hockenheim with high hopes ahead of rounds seven and eight of the 2009 season. Taking to the track for first free practice on Friday, Arundel had his first taste of the German F1 circuit and spent the first 30 minute session getting to grips with the track. With a further 30 minute practice session before qualifying, Arundel was pushing hard on Friday afternoon as he experimented with the limit in his Volkswagen powered Carlin Dallara. Pushing hard in the first few minutes of the second practice session, Arundel hit rubber marbles at the first corner which sent his car hurtling across the gravel and into the barriers. The substantial impact, which damaged the rear of the car, put Arundel out of the session and left his mechanics with the tough job of preparing his car for qualifying.
In a departure from the normal British F3 schedule, qualifying for the first race took place on Friday afternoon. Arundel joined the first qualifying session with his car fixed but his confidence around the Hockenheim track somewhat dented and with less track time than his F3 peers. The British racer was unable to match his front running pace in Rockingham and could only manage the 14th fastest time.
Arundel's bad luck continued on Saturday morning, as the 21-year-old racer took part in the second qualifying. Suffering from a lack of rear end grip, Arundel qualified 16th, just behind Carlin team mate and F2 race winner Robert Wickens. Arundel's handling problems continued throughout the first race on Saturday morning, when the Bristol University student crossed the line in 12th place. Upon inspection at the end of the race, Arundel's Carlin team found a significant problem with his car's rear floor which had badly affected his car's handling.
With the problem fixed, Arundel was positive ahead of the second race on Sunday morning, despite facing a tough climb through the field from 16th on the grid. As the lights went out, Arundel made a strong start in race two and managed to avoid a multi car melee at turn three. By the end of lap one, Arundel had already made up four places to cross the line in 12th place at the end of lap one. For the remainder of the race, Arundel showed consistent pace and took advantage of the mistakes of several other drivers to move through the field. At the chequered flag Arundel was ninth, just behind team mate and championship leader Daniel Ricciardo.
Reflecting on his weekend, Arundel said: "It was a really tough weekend in Hockenheim. There's no doubting that my accident on Friday hampered my weekend, both in terms of losing track time and denting my confidence a bit. However, it's difficult to find the limit around a circuit - especially one that you haven't been to before - without sometimes going beyond it! Nevertheless, I'm already thinking about the next event, which will be the F3 Masters next weekend in Zandvoort."
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Rockingham |
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Rockingham |
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Oulton Park |
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Oulton Park |
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