Inside a British F1 hopeful’s record-breaking journey to F2

It was a good season for me in FIA Formula 3. I went in knowing that it was going to be really, really challenging, because F4 to F3 is a big jump, I only did a year of F4 in Italy, and then went straight into F3. With Prema. I had to ensure that I was giving my best on all fronts.

In the beginning it wasn’t even about winning; It was just about trying to get into the top 10 and be competitive. We worked really well in the winter, we prepared well, I worked hard and I reached Bahrain i won my first race,

Winning on my debut was a special moment, and it filled me with a lot of confidence, especially after the difficult end to the 2023 season. That took a little burden off my shoulders, but I knew I still hadn’t really accomplished anything, because, well, I won on my debut, and I think that’s the lowest I’ve ever won. The age of the F3 race winner was (16 years, six months), but it was a sprint race. It wasn’t a proper feature race, so I knew I still had to improve.

From that point forward, every time I sat in the car, there was a lot of growth and learning. I would say that from my first test in Jerez to Silverstone (in July), I was learning, and I was getting better. I broke several records throughout the season: youngest F3 race winner, winning the 100th race of the current era, tying the most wins in a season, and highest F3 win percentage.

It was a great year and I’m happy with how it went. It was a big challenge to get into it and I faced it and I was able to complete it. I’m very grateful to all the people at Red Bull, all the people at Prema and my entire support team who helped me, because it was a big challenge.

I worked a lot with Red Bull this year. The head of the Driver Academy at Red Bull Racing is Guillaume Roquelin – ‘Rocky’, who was Sebastian Vettel’s race engineer when he won four world championships. He is extremely experienced in motorsport, he knows what it takes to be a winner and what characteristics you need. He taught me a lot on and off the track, so I have to thank him a lot because, everyone played a huge role this year, he was one of the most important guys.

It’s not easy to get in and get enough seat time to be competitive in the first place. You really have to learn as much as you can whenever you’re in the car. You have to look at a lot of factors and many different variables when comparing F4.

I think F3 is unique, it has 30 cars and the tires have arguably the shortest lifespan. There were many sessions this year where there was literally one round, and it was pointless to do another because they were gone. You try to make the most of every learning opportunity, and preparation is of the utmost importance.

I am really happy to be a part of the BRDC Superstars programme. The whole British Racing Drivers Club is amazing. They have superstars, who provide opportunities to us young drivers. It’s great to tap into that knowledge and expertise and learn from other people at the club who have achieved so much. There are many world champions in all disciplines, so it’s been a great opportunity, and talking to them has helped me a lot this season.

I have been in an Italian team since the end of 2019 in karting. This will be my first Spanish team, so I’m looking forward to a different culture and a different atmosphere

I really enjoyed my time at Prema Racing. I was very happy with the team and the environment and I really didn’t want to leave. In the end, like all of us, I am trying to reach Formula 1, and F2 and F3 are categories in which you need to perform. If you don’t do that, you won’t get that opportunity.

It’s been a great collaboration with Red Bull campos racing this year and I’m excited to work with him in F2 next yearThey’re a really strong team and from what I’ve seen and what they’ve been doing so far it’s impressive, and I think that’s being translated onto the race track. with isaac hadjarHe has won the most feature races this season and was fighting for the title, so I’m really looking forward to next year. I know I’m in a good place and have a great team around me.

It’s going to be an interesting dynamic, because I’ve been in an Italian team since the end of 2019 in karting. This will be my first Spanish team, so I’m looking forward to a different culture and a different atmosphere, but in the end, from what I’ve seen so far, they’re really hungry to win, and that’s all that matters. It doesn’t matter what race, nationality or gender you are.

I want to win, and have a shared interest and passion with the people I work with – that’s what excites me most.