Silverstone, the Red Bull Ring opens a new back to back
The FIA Formula 3 Championship will face its second back-to-back of the season next weekend, starting in green Styria and continuing the following weekend with the race at Silverstone. The Red Bull Ring will host the fourth round of the season with Trident Motorsport aiming for another competitive weekend.
Having finished second in the Sprint Race held at the Catalunya circuit, Freddie Slater now sits fourth in the overall FIA Formula 3 Championship standings, eleven points off the top.
The seventeen-year-old Englishman, an Audi Junior Driver, will be able to use his knowledge of the Austrian track, having performed well last year in the Formula Regional European Championship, to chase his first win of the season.
Having narrowly missed the points in both races in Spain, Noah Strømsted arrives in Austria aiming to reverse the trend and score points to climb the championship standings.
Despite putting in a solid performance, Matteo De Palo scored less than expected at the Catalan circuit of Montmeló. The eighteen-year-old from Rome will now have the chance to redeem himself at the Red Bull Ring, a circuit the McLaren Junior Driver knows very well.
In Austria, the drivers will encounter a track with very different characteristics than what they experienced in Spain. The Austrian circuit is characterized by long straights linked by slow corners, which require good traction at the exits. Furthermore, the unpredictable weather must be taken into account, with temperatures well above thirty degrees this year.
Giacomo Ricci, Trident Motorsport Team Manager: “Spielberg is a traditional destination for the category, a circuit we visit every year and which always offers very close racing with close gaps. The slightest drop can mean a significant drop in positions. The F.3 completed a collective test at the Red Bull track last May. Therefore, everyone will start from a good set of data. We know that in Austria we won't be able to make any mistakes, and, coming off the experience in Catalonia, our goal is to be solid and determined not to drop a single point.”
The FIA Formula 3 Championship engines will start on Friday at 9:55 AM, with the 45-minute free practice session. Qualifying also takes place on the same day, starting at 3:00 PM. The Sprint Race will take place on Saturday at 10:05 AM. The Feature Race, which will conclude the weekend, will start on Sunday at 8:40 AM. All track action will be broadcast in full on Sky F1.