Joel formed part of a dramatic scrap over pole position in second qualifying at the Silverstone F3 season-opener on Friday, coming within fractions of the front row as less than one tenth separated the top four.
Joel eventually wound up just 0.055s adrift of pole, claimed by Callum Ilott, and 0.030s behind second-placed Lando Norris, shadowing the British locals while keeping Maximilian Günther at bay by another three hundredths.
The outcome means Joel will start tomorrow’s Race 2 from third, with the same being true for Sunday’s Race 3 where the grid is based on the second-quickest laps in Qualifying 2. Joel again ended up just narrowly beaten by Ilott and Norris on that chart.
Coming up next here at Silverstone is the first race of the season, with Joel set to start from fourth on the grid.
Comment, Joel:
“That was close! It’s incredibly small margins, especially considering this track is so technical. It really says a lot about this championship. We took a step with the car from yesterday, and I also improved my driving, and now we’re firmly on the pace, so that’s convincing. Furthermore, we’ve put a lot of effort into our race pace in winter testing, so that’s the part I’m really feeling confident in. With three good grid slots this weekend, the aim now is to try and fight for victories.”
Next session: Race 1, 15.55 local time (GMT+01:00)
RESULTS – Qualifying 2
Outright times (grid for Race 2)
Second-fastest times (grid for Race 3)
FOLLOW THE ACTION
TV / live stream
FIA F3 European Championship races are broadcast throughout a wide network of TV stations. Click here to find out where to watch in your part of the world. All races are also transmitted LIVE at www.fiaf3europe.com/live, with Eurosport airing a highlights package in the days following each round.
Live timing
Live timing for each session of the 2017 FIA F3 European Championship is available at www.fiaf3europe.com/live.
Website/Facebook
Reports, pictures, results and information will be published at www.joelerikssonracing.com and Joel Eriksson’s official Facebook page throughout the weekend.
WHERE IT HAPPENS
Silverstone Circuit
Great Britain
Lap length: 5.901 km
Opened: 1948
Silverstone FIA F3 EC data
Lap record: 1m51.498s (C.Leclerc, ’15)
Latest event: 2015
Most recent winners (2015):
F.Rosenqvist/G.Russell/C.Leclerc
