James Pull took the step up from F4 British Championship to BRDC British F3 in his stride this weekend (10-11 September).
The 16-year-old Carlin driver looked at home during his first taste of F3 racing in the season finale at Donington.He finished 11th in the first two races, staging a remarkable come-back from last place in one after being spun off the track.
He then topped off the weekend with a brilliant eighth place finish, but while he made the most of the experience, James now returns to the F4 British Championship where he will be fighting for the title at Silverstone this weekend.
He said: “I really enjoyed the step up this weekend and got some good experience in an F3 car. I felt like I learnt a lot in a short space of time and adapted well. This was just one weekend and I was racing alongside the leaders in the final race, so I’m confident I can make the step up.
“Now it’s back to the title race. I know what I need to do - I need to keep calm and the results will come.”
English driver James, born in Singapore, now living in Herts, spent much of the practice sessions getting used to the new car.
Despite not having driven in the wet in an F3 car, he managed to pull out some fast times in qualifying in those conditions. He finished ninth, but may have finished even higher had a red flag not come out on what was looking like his fastest lap.
The first race got off to the worst possible start when he was hit from behind on the first lap – causing him to spin off the track.
He managed to pull himself back into the race before being hit again, but the determined racer finished brilliantly, closing the gap after a safety car and then overtaking well to get back into the race and end up 11th.
James started the second race in 11th and finished in the same position. Despite further contact from other drivers that lost him valuable time, he remained composed to the end.
Things really started to click for James by the final race of the weekend. Starting ninth, he got off to a brilliant start to get up to seventh early on and battle alongside the Championship leaders, but after dropping a place he was happy to finish eighth at the end.
Now the teen turns his attention to the F4 British Championship title race once again, this weekend.He currently lies in fourth place in the standings with six races to go, in what promises to be an exciting final couple of rounds.James added: “It took me a while to get used to driving a new car, but by the third race I was holding my own against guys who had been competing at that level all season. It was great experience and has hopefully opened up some options for next year. But this season is all I’m thinking about now and I’m confident I can still win the title.
“I’m working really hard off the track to give myself the best chance of taking some wins, so hopefully it will all pay off.”
