Frustrating qualifying for Viso.

South American sensation, Ernesto Viso battled through two frustrating qualifying sessions yesterday for the second round of the 2004 Avon Tyres British Formula 3 Championship.

Having been sixth quickest in the official F3 test at Silverstone on Friday, Ernesto was looking forward to qualifying around the 2.25-mile Silverstone International Circuit. However a combination of team tyre strategy and variable wind conditions resulted in an ultimately frustrating two qualifying sessions for the South American hotshot.

With rain threatening for later in the day, the team decided to use the majority of their allocated new tyres in the first session, so gaining a theoretical tyre advantage.

Unhappily for Ernesto, this advantage was destroyed when he ran into track debris on his new rubber, mid way through the first session. Consequently forced to pit for remedial work, Ernesto blasted out of the pitlane in an attempt to lower his lap time, however by now the track was at its slowest and there was just no more time to be found. He therefore ended the first session in 7th place overall.

The second session started much more promisingly, with Ernesto and team mate Adam Carroll trading places at the very top of the time sheets for the first ten minutes. However, the team's tyre strategy from the first session meant that, unlike his rivals, Ernesto did not have the advantage of a full set of new rubber in the second qualifier.

Consequently, as the rest of the F3 grid brought their times down as the session progressed, Ernesto was unable to respond. Demoted further and further down the order, Ernesto ended up a very disappointed twelfth overall, albeit just half a second off pole position.

"Qualifying was frustrating for both me and my team mate - and in F3 qualifying is so very important."