Driver Database News

British F3 champions Carlin join F3 teams from across the world this week, as the British squad make preparations ahead of the 56th Macau Grand Prix this weekend. Racing with Carlin in the most prestigious and challenging F3 race in the world, will be current British F3 champion Daniel Ricciardo, Max Chilton, Brendon Hartley and Henry Arundel.

The four drivers follow in the footsteps of F1 racers Jaime Alguersuari, Sebastian Vettel, Sebastien Buemi, Robert Kubica and Nico Rosberg who have all competed with Carlin in the Chinese enclave in recent years.

After an eventful race in Macau in 2008, Hartley took a podium finish for Carlin, despite having started from 20th position after an incident in the Qualification race. Chilton also benefits from knowledge of the Guia circuit, having raced here last year. This year’s Macau Grand Prix will be a new experience for reigning British F3 champion Ricciardo and also his first taste of a street circuit, while Arundel also make his Macau debut this year.

2008 third place man Brendon Hartley said, “I’m happy to be back in Macau after a podium last year. We had really good pace then, so I’m expecting that to continue this year. There’s always a bit of luck involved in getting a good result in Macau, its easy to get caught up in other people’s accidents, but then you have to create your own luck as well. I started at the back of the grid last year and finished on the podium but I think if you want to have a chance of winning, you need to qualify well here.”

British racer Max Chilton makes his second visit to Macau after a successful debut last year. “Macau is a fantastic circuit; it’s just so tight there isn’t any room for error. It’s great to come back here already knowing what to expect and knowing the circuit. I’m feeling confident after a strong finish to the British F3 season and I feel as though I’ve developed a lot as a driver since I was here last year. I’m aiming to finish my F3 career on a high with a strong result here this weekend.”

Having had his first look at the Guia circuit, British F3 champion Daniel Ricciardo commented, “The circuit looks incredible. It looks really challenging so I think it will be important to build up to it. Everyone says you need as much track time as possible to get the most out of the circuit and have the confidence to push to the limit. It’s tempting to just go all out and see what I can do, but I’ll have to just take it easy and build up to the ultimate pace. I can tell already that I’m going to love the circuit. ”

Also making his first trip to Macau, Henry Arundel added, “The circuit looks really fun but also a big challenge. We’ve seen in the past that anything can happen here, but I think the important thing will be to improve with every session. It looks like it could be the best circuit I’ve ever driven and certainly the most challenging. I can’t wait for the first session to get underway so I can see what it’s really like.”

The first practice session for the F3 drivers will take place at 10.30 local time on Thursday, followed by first qualifying at 14.00. Second practice and second qualifying will take place on Friday, with the qualification race on Saturday culminating in the 56th Macau Grand Prix on Sunday.

Daniel Ricciardo became the 2009 British F3 champion today, following a strong outing at the Portimao circuit in Portugal. Team mate Max Chilton took his first victory in the British F3 International class to top off a fantastic weekend for the Carlin team.

In a chaotic second race, Chilton and Ricciardo started on the front row, but both were passed into the first corner by flying F3 Euro Series racer Sam Bird. Ricciardo then found himself battling with F3 Euro Series points leader Jules Bianchi, when contact between the duo resulted in a damaged front wing for Ricciardo. From then on the Carlin racer struggled to hold his position, dropping further down the field due to a lack of front grip and crossed the line seventh on the road, but was fourth of the British F3 runners – enough to seal the championship. Just behind Ricciardo was Henry Arundel in eighth – fifth of the British F3 drivers, while Philip Major had to retire with damage after contact with Wayne Boyd.

Chilton meanwhile had fought his way up to third on the road which was first in the British F3 championship class, and crossed the line to take his first victory in the series. It was a well earned win for the 18 year-old British racer, who has been blighted by bad luck so far this season, but had been the quickest and most consistent driver in qualifying in Portugal.

Ricciardo’s rise to the 2009 title came after a stunning rookie season which saw the Red Bull racer head the standings from the first race of the year at Oulton Park. From 18 races so far, Ricciardo has claimed six wins, 11 podiums and leaves Portimao with an unbeatable lead in the championship standings. Ricciardo follows in the footsteps of 2008 F3 champion and now F1 driver Jaime Alguersuari.

Ricciardo’s success in the British F3 Series also marks a return to winning ways for Volkswagen in the first year of the manufacturer’s return to the British Series. The German manufacturer last won the British F3 championship in 1989. Incidentally, that too was with an Australian driver, David Brabham, who was run by now Carlin Commercial Director Steve Hollman’s Bowman Team, with Trevor Carlin as Team Manager.

Speaking about winning the title, Ricciardo said, “It’s an unbelievable feeling to have won the title and a big relief. It’s great when you have worked so hard for something when it pays off. A big thank you to every one at Carlin and my engineer Mike has worked so hard this season. It’s good to be able to head to the last round at Brands with nothing to lose and everything to gain, so I’m just going to go out there for the wins with no pressure at all.”

Team Principal Trevor Carlin said, “I am absolutely delighted for Daniel, who has worked so hard and has never taken the possibility of winning this championship for granted. He has worked brilliantly with his engineer Mike Lugg, who has also just completed his first season in British F3. A huge thank you must go to the whole team, our chief engineer Mark Owen and our development team at Chessington who have continued to push the team forwards. Max thoroughly deserved this win in the British F3 championship class and I think this will really open the floodgates for him now.”

Daniel Ricciardo is one step closer to becoming the 2009 British F3 champion this afternoon, following a victory in the first race at the Portimao circuit in Portugal. Ricciardo finished third on the road behind invitation class drivers Jules Bianchi and Esteban Gutierrez, but was the first of the British F3 runners to cross the line – thereby taking his sixth victory of the season.

Lining up on the grid for the first ever British F3 race at Portimao, Max Chilton was the lead Carlin driver in second place, with Ricciardo directly behind him on the grid in the fourth. A quick light sequence caught out several drivers at the start, including Chilton who lost out in the drag down to the first corner and dropped to sixth, while Ricciardo managed to maintain fourth despite some chaos at the first corner. When the cars crossed the line for the first time, Ricciardo was fourth while was Chilton eighth, but the British driver moved back up a place on lap two with an overtaking move past Carlos Huertas. Henry Arundel meanwhile had moved to 15th place, while Philip Major had lost out to drop to 19th.

A safety car period on lap three bunched up the order again, as marshals worked to recover the stranded cars of Sam Bird, Valterri Bottas and Daisuke Nakajima. Despite being under safety car conditions, Henry Arundel saw his race end early, as Adriano Buzaid ran into the back of the Carlin racer putting him into retirement.

As the safety car pulled in at the end of lap six, the racing got underway again as Chilton found himself in a close battle with Riki Christodoulou. Christodoulou had the edge at the restart to pass Chilton for sixth, but the Carlin man fought back a lap later to reclaim the position on lap eight. Chilton held onto his position for the remainder of the race despite a last lap challenge from Christodoulou and crossed the line in sixth place on the road, which made him fourth of the British F3 runners.

Ricciardo meanwhile had an ailing Renger van der Zande in his sights, who had dropped to third on the road due to a slow puncture. Ricciardo seized the opportunity to clinch third place by just 0.009 seconds as the duo raced for the flag, taking victory in the British F3 International Class in the process. With a lead of 57 points in the championship, Ricciardo is tantalising close to clinching the championship title in race two this afternoon.

Philip Major enjoyed an eventful race, with a fight back from 19th place on lap two to 11th place at the chequered flag. With the F3 Euro Series racers ahead of him unable to score points in the championship standings, Major was the seventh British F3 driver across the line. It was also a successful outing for Carlin’s National Class runner Joe Ghanem, who took a superb second place in his class on his F3 debut.

Speaking about his race, Ricciardo said, “That race was just about avoiding the incidents. I managed to avoid [Roberto] Merhi and Bottas and then towards the end I could see that Renger had a problem. I had no idea it was the last lap though – that’s just the way it worked out. It’s not a result that I can be completely delighted with, but you have to take what you can get.”

British F3 championship leader Daniel Ricciardo set the pace at the Portimao circuit in Portugal today, ahead of the penultimate round of the 2009 Cooper Tires British F3 Series. 20 year-old Ricciardo, who holds a 45 point lead in the championship standings, set the quickest overall time in practice this afternoon while team mate Max Chilton also enjoyed a strong outing to set the third quickest time overall.

Following a four week break since the last round at Silverstone, the Carlin drivers took to the track this morning as the first British F3 event at Portimao got underway. With an extended practice session of one and half hours to help the drivers acclimatise to the new circuit, all four of Carlin’s Volkswagen powered runners finished in the top 12, despite the increased level of competition following the participation of several F3 Euro Series drivers. Joe Ghanem made a strong F3 debut in his Carlin National Class car, finishing the session third in his class.

The second session of the day saw Ricciardo and Chilton battling for the top spot, despite two red flag periods interrupting Chilton’s new tyre run. In the end it was Ricciardo who claimed the top spot, with visiting F3 Euro Series driver Valterri Bottas taking second with Chilton just behind in third.

Ricciardo said, “I really like this circuit and enjoyed getting to grips with it this afternoon. It’s really hot and sunny here too, which makes a change to some of the British rounds this year! Hopefully we can build on this performance and carry our strong pace into qualifying tomorrow, when it really matters.”

Team principal Trevor Carlin added, “We’re very pleased with the team’s performance today, the engineers have done a great job to prepare the set up for this new circuit. Even though Daniel’s a bit under the weather he’s done some great laps, closely followed by Max. Philip continues to make great strides forward and finished the morning twelfth, which was very impressive considering the quality of the field. Henry had a very good first session, but a car problem compromised his speed this afternoon.”

Qualifying for round 17 will take place at 11.00 tomorrow, with qualifying for round 18 at 13.35.

After a four week break, Carlin’s British F3 team head overseas to Portugal this week, for the penultimate round of the 2009 Cooper Tires British F3 Series. The championship winning squad are aiming for the top again at the new Portimao circuit, where current championship leader Daniel Ricciardo could take the 2009 title. Racing alongside Ricciardo will be regular front runner Max Chilton, Henry Arundel and Philip Major. Joining Carlin’s British F3 team for the final two races of the season will be Lebanese driver Joe Ghanem who will compete in the National Class.

Ghanem returns to Carlin having made his European racing debut with the team in 2007 in the competitive Formula Renault Eurocup championship. Ghanem also raced for the team in the Formula Renault UK Winter Cup alongside Henry Surtees in October 2007. The 19 year-old racer will make his debut in British F3 in Alvaro Parente’s 2005 championship winning car when he joins the National Class grid in Portugal.

Last time out at Silverstone, Australian racer Ricciardo extended his lead in the championship standings to 45 points, with only four races remaining. If Ricciardo scores more or equal points to his championship rivals, the 20 year-old racer could wrap up the championship in Portugal.

However, championship contender Ricciardo is staying calm ahead of the Portimao race saying, “I’m not changing anything about my approach this weekend. I feel confident, but mainly I’m just looking forward to racing on a great track, with the added challenge of racing against some of the F3 Euro Series drivers. I think I respond well to pressure and a challenge, so I’m looking forward to racing against new drivers this weekend. It’s the kind of track that should suit my driving style and our car well.”

Speaking about his F3 debut, Ghanem said, “I’m really excited to be back with Carlin and racing again in the UK. The F3 car is such a nice car and I think the British F3 Series can prepare a driver for anything. These two races will be a learning ground for me and training for my 2010 season. Hopefully I can be fighting at the front of the National Class, but it is most important get race miles and learn a lot.”

Carlin team boss Trevor Carlin added, “Portimao will be a new experience for most of the British F3 teams, so it’s going to be important to get to grips with the circuit as soon as possible. In theory it is possible for Daniel to win the championship in Portugal, but we will approach the weekend the same as any other, with the aim to provide all the drivers with a car capable of winning. Joe makes a welcome return to the team, racing our National Class F3 car for the remaining two events. It will be a steep learning curve for him, but we believe he’ll do a good job for us.”

Currently leading the championship in British F3 in his rookie season, the ever smiling Daniel Ricciardo has high hopes as the 2009 season enters its final stages. Here the young Australian talks about his season so far and emulating fellow Red Bull driver and F3 champion Jaime Alguersuari…

Are you happy with the way the season has gone so far?

Yes, so far! The season started well with two wins at the first race weekend at Oulton Park. I think that weekend shaped the season and how it developed. Both myself and the team realised that we could challenge for the championship and not just dream about it.

You started the season off with three wins from four races, but although you’ve been amongst the front runners, you didn’t win again until Spa. Why is that?

It’s been a very competitive year and after the first few rounds I think the other teams realised that they were going to have to catch up quickly. Its not that we haven’t been working as hard, but I think a couple of teams made a really big push.

I don’t think there were any key factors that led to us not winning a race between Silverstone and Spa. I made a mistake a Rockingham which took away a possible win and killed the momentum that weekend. Then we had a tough weekend at Hockenheim were it took as while to get up to pace. I think those two weekends took the momentum away from us a bit. I think we’re still seen as the ones to beat which shows how competitive we are. You can’t always win – although we always try!

You won at Silverstone on your last visit, do you have equally high hopes this weekend?

The Grand Prix circuit at Silverstone is great and is probably more enjoyable than the circuit we will be racing on this weekend, but the short circuit is still good. We had a good weekend last time at Silverstone and I’ll be going with the same expectations this weekend.

There have been some accusations of team orders this season in British F3. Does that affect you at all?

No it doesn’t. I know that there has been some talk around the paddock about that, but it doesn’t affect me as a driver. Every time I get in the car I’m just focused on being the fastest, trying to win the race, trying to get pole. My approach hasn’t changed. Who can say if some of the results have been affected by team orders this year? I don’t think about it, I just try and get the most out of myself and the car at every race.

After Silverstone there are only two rounds left; Portimao and Brands Hatch. Do you think you’ll be strong?

Yeah, they’re tracks I like. I raced in Portimao in Formula Renault 3.5 a few weeks ago and it was a lot of fun, although obviously I haven’t been there in an F3 car. I know which way the circuit goes, which will be a slight advantage early on in the weekend. It seems to be my kind of circuit.

We did a day’s testing at Brands earlier this year, although that was compromised quite a lot by bad weather, but it was my first time there and I was quickest in the dry. If I had to pick two tracks to end the season on, they’d be among my favourites.

You saw your fellow Red Bull Junior team mate Jaime Alguersuari crowned British F3 champion last year and now he’s racing in F1 for Toro Rosso. How does that make you feel?

It’s exciting to see him go up there. At first it was a bit of a shock to see him going from what I’m doing this season to F1, but he’s done a really good job in F1 so far. In a way it makes things seem very real, and a dream a possible reality. To be with Carlin, working with the same people he did last year and also in the Red Bull Junior Team is giving me an opportunity to follow his example; if I can win the British F3 championship this year it won’t necessary lead straight to an F1 drive as it has for Jaime, but it will create more opportunities for me. I think it’s proved that Red Bull want to push us, and believe in its young drivers and can help us reach our dream goal. To see it visibly happen in front of you – see a young driver get a chance in F1 – I think it gives all the young Red Bull drivers more motivation.

Carlin’s British F3 squad enjoyed a strong outing at Spa-Francorchamps this afternoon, as Daniel Ricciardo took another podium finish while Henry Arundel and Max Chilton took competitive fifth and sixth places respectively. In a race which saw rain showers throughout, the Carlin drivers did well to stay on track in the slippery conditions. Philip Major dealt well with tricky conditions and made his first pit stop when he stopped for wet tyres late on the race. Jake Rosenzweig unfortunately saw his strong weekend end early; when he tangled with several cars on lap one which put him out of the race.

Just as the cars headed to the grid for round 14 of the season, light rain began to fall making conditions on track treacherous. As the weather deteriorated, officials made the decision to postpone the start by ten minutes and declared it a wet race. 10 minutes is a long time in the Ardennes Mountains however and the rain eased as the start drew closer, prompting the majority of teams to switch back to slick tyres. Rosenzweig was an exception to the rule; the young American took a chance on wet tyres, in what was a nonchampionship race for him.

At the start, all Carlin cars made a good getaway. Ricciardo and race leader Buzaid made a good start, breaking away from the rest of the field, while Arundel also did well, moving up to sixth place on lap one from his ninth place grid slot. Chilton was also making a lot of progress having moved up three place on the first lap. Rosenzweig saw his race end early on; the young American was collected by a spinning car that promptly ended his afternoon.

Arundel was still on a charge; the Links of London backed driver was pushing hard, but went off on lap two. The British racer recovered his car and rejoined the field to slot in just behind team mate Chilton, who had moved up to eighth place. With the track drying, Ricciardo was catching Buzaid but as the rain started to fall again on lap five, the conditions deteriorated and Ricciardo backed off.

By lap six, Arundel, Chilton and Boyd found themselves in a three way battle, with Arundel coming out on top to pass both Boyd and Chilton to take fifth place as Chilton dropped to eighth. Arundel and Chilton both made up places on lap seven when Christodoulou crashed off track and Boyd pitted for wets. Major meanwhile was in 16th place and made his first F3 pit stop for wet tyres on lap seven. The order remained unchanged, until the final lap when Arundel and Chilton suddenly caught a slowing Renger van der Zande. Both drivers tried to find a way past but couldn’t despite a close battle at the Bus Stop on the final lap.

Ricciardo said, “I’m pleased with the result today, Buzaid drove well, but I was happy to come away with the points for second. It was actually a good thing to have someone in front – as I could judge the conditions and which parts of the track were very wet. It’s all good for the championship.”

Team principal Trevor Carlin added, “Spa has proved to be a happy hunting ground again for Carlin Motorsport, with yet another win to add to our British F3 tally. Daniel drove very maturely in the second race to bag the necessary points. Henry and Max had a super exciting race, mixing it lap after lap with the Hitech duo. Philip had a taste of his first pit stop, when we made a strategic tyre change and he dealt with this perfectly. A gamble on strategy with Jake unfortunately backfired and to add insult to injury, he was rudely forced off the circuit by another runner. Nevertheless he can be proud of his British F3 debut.”

Carlin driver Daniel Ricciardo stormed to victory in the British F3 International Series today, in round 12 of the season at Spa-Francorchamps. The 20 year-old driver further strengthened his position in the championship, with a dominant victory to extend his lead in the standings to 34 points. Carlin’s regular Euro Series racer Jake Rosenzweig made an impressive race debut in the British Series, finishing fifth overall, which put him third in the Invitation Class. Max Chilton suffered early disappointment when he stalled off the line from his second placed grid slot, but a spirited drive through the field saw him finally finish ninth overall and fifth in the International Class. Philip Major took his best ever British F3 finish of his career, with an 11th place on the road and seventh place in the International Class standings, just in front of team mate Henry Arundel.

Following a strong qualifying session from the team yesterday, Ricciardo lined up on pole for the first race of the weekend, with Chilton alongside him in second. As the lights went out, Ricciardo made a good start to retain the lead in the drag down to the first corner. Team mate Chilton meanwhile stalled off the grid and was hit from behind by fourth place man Hywel Lloyd, sustaining a rear left puncture in the process.

As the cars exited the first corner, a crash involving Ricciardo’s championship rival Walter Grubmuller brought out the safety car. That benefited Chilton, who had limped back to the pits for a quick change of his rear left tyre before rejoining the rest of the field behind the safety car. At the restart, Ricciardo managed the field well to maintain the lead, while Chilton had already started his charge through the field and was up to 14th place by lap seven.

Behind Ricciardo, Rosenzweig was making up places to lie eighth after the restart and passed Diaz and Buzaid to take sixth on lap six. Major meanwhile was dicing in the mid field, lying in 15th place on lap eight, and moving up to 12th on lap 10. Having stalled on the grid Henry Arundel was also making his way through the field, overtaking to the final lap to come home in 13th place. Having taken the chequered flag, Rosenzweig, Major and Arundel all made up a place following the demotion of Carlos Huertas for a grid infringement.

With several additional entries into the British F3 event at Spa this weekend, the number of cars racing under ‘Invitation Class’ stood at five. With Invitation Class cars not counted in the championship standings, Ricciardo’s lead over the next British car on track stood at a full 10 seconds, while Chilton’s ferocious drive through the field was rewarded with a fifth place, with Major seventh and Arundel eighth.

Speaking about his fourth British F3 victory, Ricciardo said, “I had a good start but there was a safety car almost straight away and thankfully I got a good restart once it went green again. The first lap after the restart was what helped me I think, I pushed hard, I had a lot of grip on the new tyres which helped me break the elastic band so the drivers behind me couldn’t get a tow. Then it was about being consistent. I could see Renger [van der Zande] and Jules [Bianchi] fighting behind me; Bianchi finally got through and I saw him close in on me at the end, but it wasn’t enough to catch me so I didn’t take any risks. It’s a good result.”

Following a one minute penalty for sixth placed man Adriano Buzaid for a grid place infringement, Max Chilton, Philip Major and Henry Arundel move up one place in the final standings for round 13 of the 2009 British F3 International Series at Spa- Francorchamps.

Max Chilton consequently finished eighth overall and fourth in the International Class, Major moves up to 10th overall and sixth in the International Class, with Arundel 11th overall and seventh in the International Class standings.

Carlin Motorsport took a front row lock out today, for round 13 of the 2009 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series at Spa-Francorchamps. Current championship leader Daniel Ricciardo took his third pole position of the season, while Max Chilton qualified second to make it an all Carlin front row. Jake Rosenzweig qualified in a solid 10th place on his British F3 debut, while Henry Arundel will line up 17th tomorrow, with Philip Major 20th.

Conditions for today’s two free practice sessions took place in weather conditions typical of the Spa circuit, with a wet track in both sessions. Euro Series driver Rosenzweig was the surprise of the morning, setting the second fastest time in free practice. Ricciardo was also among the front runners throughout practice, while Arundel experimented with his set up to be within the top ten in both sessions.

With the rain finally easing enough to allow the circuit to dry, the drivers took to the track to qualify for round 13 on slick tyres. Ricciardo and Chilton were immediately on the pace, and were P1 and P2 respectively when a red flag halted proceedings with 22 minutes to go. In a relatively uneventful session, Ricciardo and Chilton looked unchallenged for the remainder of the 30 minute session. Rosenzweig meanwhile made an impressive debut to qualify 10th, with Arundel 17th and Major 20th.

Pole sitter Daniel Ricciardo said, “I was pushing really hard straightaway as we thought it was going to rain, so I just thought I had to get my best possible lap in as soon as possible. We had a good lap, its great fun around here in an F3 car, its really rewarding when you get a good lap hooked up. Hopefully we can do the same again tomorrow.”

Speaking about his second place on the grid, Chilton said, “I’m really pleased to be back on the front row, we’ve had a couple of really tough races, so it’s nice to be back at the front again this weekend. There weren’t really many changes we could make as qualifying was our first dry session of the day, but I knew there would only be a short window of opportunity on the tyres and I really went for it. I got a small tow off Jake which helped me, but I’m confident we’ve got good pace in the dry here.”

Team principal Trevor Carlin added, “The team did a good job today. Daniel once again showed the quality of his driving, having been among the front runners all day. Max did a fantastic job to recover from two disappointing practice sessions and he should be very proud to have put together two very good laps when it mattered in qualifying. I’m very pleased with the way Jake has adapted to British F3, he was extremely quick in the wet this morning and did a brilliant job in qualifying on what was his first ever set of new slick Cooper tyres and I’m sure he’ll be even better tomorrow.”

Qualifying for round 14 will take place at 0900am local time tomorrow, while racing action will kick off with round 13 at 1410 tomorrow afternoon.

Jake Rosenzweig joins Carlin’s British F3 racers for this weekend’s round of the 2009 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series in Spa. The American racer comes fresh from his first F3 Euro Series podium in Zandvoort last weekend and will be hoping for a repeat performance on his British F3 debut. Rosenzweig will be racing alongside championship leader Daniel Ricciardo, Max Chilton, Henry Arundel and Philip Major.

Last time out at Donington, Daniel Ricciardo took a podium in race one to boost his championship standing, but lost out in race two having been the innocent victim of an over ambitions overtaking manoeuvre by Renger van der Zande. Chilton meanwhile came home in a strong sixth place in race one, adding a seventh place to that in race two. Having struggled in qualifying and suffering a clutch problem on the grid for race one, Henry Arundel fought back with a 13th place and a solid sixth place finish in race two. The newest member of Carlin’s British F3 squad, Philip Major, finished 15th in race one but was unable to finish the second race of the day following an incident on lap three.

Meanwhile team mate Jake Rosenzweig made it three podiums in three different countries for Carlin last weekend, with a well fought third place in race two at the Zandvoort circuit in the Netherlands. The American racer finished seventh in the first race of the weekend; earning him a second place grid slot for the reverse grid race on Sunday. From there, Rosenzweig raced hard to hold off fourth place man Christian Vietoris and take his first ever podium in Formula 3. Rosenzweig’s podium in Zandvoort followed podiums for Oliver Turvey and Jaime Alguersuari in the Formula Renault 3.5 race in Le Mans and of course Ricciardo’s third place at Donington.

Speaking about joining his Carlin team mates in the British series, Rosenzweig said, “I’m really excited to racing in Spa this weekend, it’s always good to get as much race experience as possible and it will be a new challenge to compete in a new championship on different tyres. It was a good confidence boost to finish on the podium at the last Euro Series round at Zandvoort, so I’m hoping to make the most of this opportunity in the British Series this weekend.”

Team Principal Trevor Carlin added, “Spa is always a highlight on the British F3 calendar and is a particular favourite of the team having been the location for our first ever 1-2-3-4 finish last season. As other teams have become more competitive we’re not expecting the same result this year, but we’ll still be aiming for the top step. Spa is a great challenge for all the British F3 drivers; let’s hope they can just get on with racing, rather than playing the team orders game which may have been the case at previous events this year.”