Having won the 2003 Formula Palmer Audi championship title and decided to move on up to the British Formula Three scholarship class, Ryan Lewis could not have expected to repeat the same level of success. However, after a sterling debut season, that's exactly what he achieved.
Seventeen wins in 24 rounds ensured that Lewis took the Scholarship title a massive 157 points clear of closest rival, Stephen Jelley, but what did Ryan think of his success?
Q:
What have been the high points of the year - apart from winning the title?
Ryan Lewis:
I suppose the triple at
Snetterton, when I took pole for both scheduled rounds and then won all three races - the two set for Snetterton and the rescheduled
Silverstone race. And, then,
Oulton Park, when I qualified third overall in the wet - that was pretty amazing!
Q:
And the low points?
RL:
I’d have to say the DNF at
Knockhill scores quite high on the lows. Raceday at Oulton, too, when I wasn’t able to match the pace of qualifying. The mega pre-season testing crash at
Brands Hatch, that really knocked me back - in addition to doing loads of damage! And, more recently, the finals at Brands... Although I had two poles, two wins and two fastest laps, I’d really expected to be a lot higher up the overall grid - and really should have been - so I was very disappointed in myself there.
Q:
What do you think you’ve learnt the most this season?
RL:
I suppose that would be how precise you need to be to drive quickly in an F3 car. And how completely mentally prepared you need to be, totally in-tune, because, if you’re not, you won’t perform well and it can cost you tenths of a second - which can make all the difference. You also need to be consistent.
Q:
So how do you prepare mentally to perform at your best?
RL:
Well, all drivers are different and have different ways of preparing. For me, I need to be totally focused on getting the best of me and the car by studying the data every time before I go out. You have to be careful though, or at least I do, as you can do
too much and that can have a negative effect. Physically, I prepare by spending ten minutes by myself stretching.
Q:
Looking back, do you think sometimes you haven’t been fully prepared?
