My deal to compete in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Hitech this year came together very late on and, to be honest, I didn’t expect to be doing it. It finally happened just a couple of weeks before the first race in Bahrain. We were the last driver signed coming into the year, so I was a bit on the back foot, not doing any testing, and not knowing any of the circuits bar Silverstone, Red Bull Ring and of course Spa.
Winning the 2022 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award after claiming the GB3 title with Hitech really, really helped me get that F3 seat. It shows you the opportunity you have as a British racing driver to show what you can do in equal machinery to the other three best drivers in the UK.
It was definitely difficult jumping in to F3 as late as we did, but we showed really good pace. I think we were one of the quickest full stop throughout the season, especially in the races, but for whatever reason we had a lot of bad luck go our way and the results certainly didn’t show how quick we are. I’ve won a few championships in the past and it’s all about putting it all together, being consistent and bagging the points every time. And that’s the focus going into next year.
We’ve been super-quick in practice quite a lot. We’ve topped a lot of practice sheets and we’ve just come back from Barcelona testing where we were P1 on the first day. So testing is going well, it’s just about taking this into qualifying.
I think the racing performances have been pretty good, especially when we managed to stay on track. I look back to the first race weekend in Bahrain and we came from 17th to fifth in the feature race. In Monaco we finished just off the podium in fourth, which was a little bit gutting, but something we’re going to be definitely aiming to correct for next year.
I’ve been a member of the BRDC SuperStars programme for the past two years now and it’s really awesome. The training days have been brilliant and it’s always great to have the opportunity to spend time with drivers on a similar level or pushing for a similar goal.
It really helps to increase the rate of development if you’re able to push alongside the other young drivers. Also, getting the opportunity to speak to Andy Meyrick, who runs the programme for the BRDC, and get some advice on what we should do as we climb the ladder is very valuable.
It was awesome to join the Williams Racing Driver Academy this year. It’s been a massive help. Being introduced to the team and having the opportunity to learn from them, having the opportunity to go on a Formula 1 simulator, it’s big. It was a dream to join the junior programme and to have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shoot for the stars and go for F1. Now it’s in my hands to deliver and to put it all together.
The team at Williams have given me some tips ahead of the test. I’ve got a wealth of knowledge at my fingertips and for sure, I’ll be using it to my advantage to go into the test
I’ll take a step closer to that dream this week when I get to claim my prize for winning last year’s Award. I’m very, very excited to be testing the Aston Martin F1 car. The first time jumping in an F1 car is going to be special. I’ll have a lot of support with family, friends and the people who have helped me along the way. It will probably be one of the highlights of my career so far. Jumping into an F1 car is something that not many people get to do and it’s an absolutely amazing prize.
The team at Williams have given me some tips ahead of the test. I’ve got a wealth of knowledge at my fingertips and for sure, I’ll be using it to my advantage to go into the test. I won’t be going in underprepared. I think I’ve done as much as I can, I’m getting my neck in order, and it should be a good test.
I’m looking forward to seeing what the four finalists [Taylor Barnard, Arvid Lindblad, Joseph Loake and Callum Voisin] go through for this year’s Award. It’s a high-pressure environment and you really have to deliver, so it’s going to be super-interesting to watch from an outside perspective.
