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Championship points after four races
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British Formula 3 International Championship THREE POINTS-SCORING ROUNDS FOR HITECH AT CROFT
Race one was held in wet conditions and on a track on which it is notoriously difficult to overtake. Both Grubmüller and 17 year-old Chilton struggled to move up the order. However a sterling performance by 19 year-old Grubmüller saw him move up six places to cross the line 13th. “From where we started and having dropped several places at the start it wasn’t too bad,” said Walter. “It’s so hard to overtake here, really only one or two places, but obviously was a lot easier in the wet conditions. In the second race, I made a good start initially and managed to avoid the big accident, but at the restart I stalled on the grid. Despite that I managed to work my way past the slower cars and get behind Max. Not the perfect way to get points I know, but considering where we started it’s not too bad.” With Chilton struggling in the closing stages of the race and on a drying track, a clever decision by Team Principal David Hayle to bring Max into the pits to switch to dry tyres, resulted in the fastest lap of the race and an extra point. “Two rather weird points-scoring races to be honest, said Max. ”In the first race we weren’t quick enough to get any points but David made a good call to bring me in and put slick tyres on which worked as the track was really dry and I got the fastest lap. In the second, I simply wasn’t quick enough but still managed to get two points which I didn’t expect to get, particularly after the bad qualifying.” The second race was held on a dry track and a great start by both drivers had them maintain their grid positions off the line. However a first lap accident which claimed six cars caused the race to be red-flagged. While the stricken cars were removed, Walter and Max formed up on the grid to restart in their finishing positions at the end of lap 1. With Walter lining up 12th and Max 13th, the race was declared to be an aggregate of the two races and would be held over 18 laps. A good start from Chilton allowed him to hold position but Grubmüller stalled on the line and dropped to last leaving him with a huge task ahead. Despite little opportunity for overtaking, Max was able to gain four places and crossed the line ninth. Behind him, his Austrian team-mate fared better, clawing his way through the field and making up 13 places at the flag to finish tenth the pair both securing their second consecutive points-scoring result. “It was a very frustrating weekend all round really for both Walter and Max,” said David Hayle. “However we managed to salvage three points from the races, which at the end of year may make all the difference. In the first race, as the track dried Max’s tyres started to go off so we made the decision to bring him in and try for fastest lap. “We had to wait for exactly the right time to make sure there was no time for anybody else to copy but at the same time early enough to allow the tyres to come up to temperature. We timed it perfectly. “Walter drove a superb second race after his problem off the line. He overtook several cars and in the closing stages of the race, was really trying hard. It’s good for both of them to get more points to add to those they got at Oulton. Hopefully we can continue to build on that ahead of the next rounds at Monza.”
Results of Round 3 - 22 laps
Fastest lap: Max Chilton Hitech Racing 1:18.711 156.41kph 97.19mph
Results of Round 4 - 19 laps
Fastest lap Sergio Perez 1:13.656 103.86mph (New Lap Record)
SECOND AND FIFTH FOR HITECH AT OULTON Hitech Racing’s
Max Chilton secured his maiden podium finish in the opening round of the
British Formula 3 International Series at Oulton
Park
today. Starting race one from third, Walter made a good start but got boxed in as the cars entered the first corner, which dropped him down to fifth as they exited Old Hall. Chilton, alongside him on the second row, made a great start to slot into second behind Oliver Turvey. That was until first pole-sitter Jaime Alguersuari and then Brendon Hartley found a way past demoting Max to fourth. Max bided his time as two of the Carlin drivers battled ahead. Four laps from home the pair collided leaving Max to nip through into the runner-up spot to take his first podium in the series. For Walter however, the opening lap proved to be his last, a gearbox problem forcing him into the pits and instant retirement. In the day’s second race, 19 year-old Grubmüller had his best result in the series, with a superb fifth place despite struggling with wheel spin off the line, which dropped him down the order. For Max however, a slow getaway and the subsequent delay following a collision between first race winner Oliver Turvey and Nick Tandy, left him down in 14th at the flag. David Hayle, Team Principal of the Buckingham-based reigning British Formula 3 International Series champions was delighted with both drivers’ results following a consistent pre-season test programme which has seen them regularly in the top five. “I’m very happy with the results this weekend and if you’d offered me a second and fourth a few months ago I’d have taken it, said David. “However after the superb pre-season performances, and qualifying here on Saturday which netted two third places for Walter, we are all a little disappointed. “But that’s what happens when you have a good result, your expectations go up and we could well have come away with four podiums this weekend. We need to work on the starts though, that seems to have been a problem for Max particularly today, but for Walter he had a gearbox problem which was not his fault. Max Chilton: “I didn’t get a great getaway in race two, I got the hang of the handbrake and let it off at the right time but I dropped the clutch too soon and got too much wheel spin. And then about four or five got past, which meant I had to lift and then a few more got by and I dropped back to 14th. I was following Turvey and we were going round at the same pace and then he pressured Tandy into making a mistake and he smacked the tyres going into Knickerbrook. “We all had to dodge the tyres and a few more got past there and from then I just had to get to the finish really. Race one was brilliant my first ever podium in F3 and I’m still only 16 so I’m over the moon. The thing is the result in the first race pushed up my expectations for race two, which is why I was so nervous going into the race. I did so well in the first race I put a lot of pressure on myself for the second one, but it wasn’t to be.” Walter Grubmüller: “My handbrake broke just before the start hence I had a lot of wheel spin. I think after the first corner I was seventh. I was recovering a bit but I had a bit of understeer although I was able to work my way back up to fifth. So at the end of the day it’s not bad although overall the day has been a bit disappointing because of the gearbox problem in race one. “Had the handbrake not broken I may have had a better start and could have been on the podium. After a great pre-season test and the qualifying on Saturday, I had high expectations of having possibly two podium finishes this weekend so I am a little disappointed to be going home empty-handed but it’s still some good points.”
Results of Race 1 – 18 laps
Results of Race 2 – 19 laps
Results of race two remain provisional
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Hitech
Racing scored three points-scoring finishes in the third and fourth
rounds of the British Formula 3 International Series at Croft on Sunday
with both Walter Grubmüller and Max Chilton adding to their tally. The
Buckingham-based reigning champions put the disappointment of qualifying
behind them to record the fastest lap in race one and take ninth and
tenth in race two. 
Austrian Walter Grubmüller finished fifth in the day’s second race, his
best result in the championship. Sixteen year-old Max converted his
fourth place grid position to second place after 30 minutes of racing
however team-mate Walter was unable to capitalise on a superb third
place on the grid as he was forced to retire with a gearbox problem on
the opening lap.