After that we were disappointed to finish fourth. Things were looking good, but Mick got a slow getaway off the line, dropped two places and though he got one of them back he couldn’t quite get onto the podium. It’s nice to be able to say we were disappointed with fourth though, especially as it was one of our equal-best finishes.
We had a few issues on Esteban’s car which we have since got to the bottom of, but that meeting wasn’t a good one for him or the guys working on his car. There were a few things going on mechanically which certainly didn’t help him, and he had a few comings-together during the races too. He did struggle that weekend.
We also ran a competition for
Silverstone, and the winners – a father and son – came along to see the way we operate and how things work in F3. We hosted them over the weekend and it was a good exercise for us. It was the first time we had done that sort of thing and I think it was something we need to do a lot more of. It’s extremely important I think – for people to be able to come into the F3 paddock is a good thing, and for them to actually have access to the team is definitely a step in the right direction. Unfortunately that’s nigh-on impossible in
Formula 1, so for us to be able to do it offers the fans a real insight and our two guests certainly seemed to enjoy their day.
At
Thruxton our lack of experience did count against us. In Friday practice Esteban had a blister – the first one we’ve had all year – caused probably by the abrasive track surface there and the conditions. Other teams with more experience knew that would happen so maybe took less of a risk.
