Basil Shaaban has taken to the seat of a Formula Three car for the first time after conducting a test with Comtec Racing ahead of their entry to the series.
The Lebanese A1 Grand Prix driver spent a day familiarising himself with his new surroundings at the
Brands Hatch circuit, with Shaaban managing 70 trouble-free laps around the Indy configuration of the track.
Set to debut in the National class of the series later in the year, Shaaban managed to lower his initial time by two seconds and was pleased to have finished the day with no problems.
“This introduction to my new car and team couldn't have gone better,” Shaaban mused. “We used the time productively, working with my engineers to start learning more about the car and starting to develop the set up of the car and exploring its capabilities. I'm still on the learning curve of professional race driving and today I continued to gain the experience I need to move up it.
“I really enjoyed driving the car today. It's very sensitive and responsive, having been well prepared by my team. As the day progressed we made some changes and I began to feel what the car can do. Even though we ran with a silencer, we still found enough speed to push the car and develop it.”
Developed out of the remnants of P1 Motorsport, the Norfolk-based squad has further testing lined up at
Snetterton before Shaaban makes his series bow, with Comtec Racing Chairman Jonathan Lewis anticipating he can be competitive.
“Basil made a good start with Comtec today, settling in and handling the car well. He drove sensibly, taking his time to appreciate the F3 car and its characteristics before starting to work with the engineers to make changes and develop the package. I look forward to moving forward as the season progresses.”
