Jon
lined up on the sixth row for the opening race of the weekend in this year’s
Formula 3 Euro-series round at Pau street circuit in southern France.
Photo: Courtesy of
www.f3euroseries.com
The Formula 3 rookie, driving for ART Grand Prix, had in fact been on course
for a maiden pole position, after setting the quickest time in both the
first and second sectors of his fastest lap. Sadly a rare error from the 19
year-old on the penultimate lap, cost him dearly as he clipped the barrier
on the demanding street circuit. The collision, which damaged the front left
corner of his Dallara F308, ended his charge, although he still wound up
sixth quickest in his group.
The BRDC Superstar from Leeds was nevertheless confident for the opening
race, on a track he described as “awesome”. Throughout the two free practice
sessions on Friday, and on Saturday’s first qualifying, which had been split
into two groups, Jon had been consistently swapping fastest times with his
rivals.
“It was just one of those things,” he said at the finish. “I’d been quickest
in the first sector and was over two tenths up, looking good for pole, when
I just clipped the barrier and that was it. It’s disappointing obviously,
but we’d been good all the way through, so I still feel fairly confident of
having a good charge through this afternoon, and hopefully getting a good
slot for tomorrow’s race.
“The Pau circuit is just awesome. It’s my first time on a street circuit and
this place is just so quick in the dry. It was dry for the end of the
session and I just had to go for it. If we can make up some places in the
first race, I should be able to get a good result in race two.”
And that is just what he did, when he out-performed his rivals, charging
through the pack from grid 12, to a stunning third placed podium finish. His
slight practice mistake aside, Jon’s finesse helped him to survive the
carnage, to take a well-deserved first ever podium in Formula 3.
Jon had made a great start in his Multi-flight supported F3 Dallara, passing
Maximillian Gotz and Koudai Tsukakoshi off the line. As the cars filed
through the first corner, Jon moved up another place, but dropped back to
cross the line in tenth position at the completion of the opening lap.
Nevertheless, by lap two he was up to eighth place after passing Yann
Clairay and Richard Philippe at the hairpin, before setting off after
Jean-Karl Vernay in seventh.
Clearly in superb form, the ART Grand Prix driver, held his nerve on his
first ever street circuit race, before moving up another place a lap later
when Mika Maki retired. A brief encounter with the barrier on lap five
damaged his left rear wishbone, but in spite of that, Jon kept his head and
quickly closed the gap to Vernay and Christian Vietoris, succeeding in
taking fifth place before the completion of the lap.
Two safety car periods were held to retrieve the stricken cars of, first his
team-mate Nico Hulkenberg on lap 10, and then Erik Janis a lap later. At the
restart and with 10 laps remaining, Jon maintained his hold of fourth place,
before making a superb move to pass Frank Mailleux nine laps from the flag.
By the end of the race, even with that bent wishbone, Jon had reduced the
gap to the leader from over four seconds to just over a second, to take his
first ever F3 podium.
“I’m absolutely over the moon,” said Jon afterwards. “I said before the race
if I can work my way through the field and get a good finish, then I could
be on the way to my first win tomorrow. That now looks more like a
possibility than it ever did. The car was great throughout, until I brushed
the barrier on lap five. After that I had massive oversteer and no traction
on the straight. I was closing on Edoardo Mortara over the closing stages of
the race, but there was no way I could get past him on the straight.”
On the reverse grid system for the top eight, Jon’s third place finish means
he will start Sunday’s race two from the outside of the third row. The rapid
Yorkshireman, who twice set the races’ overall fastest lap, is determined to
add a first win to his first podium finish in the series that attracts the
cream of International F3 drivers.
“Today I started from 12th and finished third. If I can repeat that
performance tomorrow, I should be able to get another good point’s finish
and hopefully my first win in F3. It would be a great way to thank David
Hood and give everyone at Multiflight something to really shout about. ”
Race two will be shown live on Motors TV (Ch. 413) today (Sunday), with the
programme scheduled to start at 4pm UK time.
Results of Race One:
1. James Jakes
2. Edoardo Mortara
3. JON LANCASTER ART Grand Prix
4. Franck Mailleux
5. Christian Vietoris
6. Dani Clos
Results of Race Two:
1. Edoardo Mortara
2. Renger van der Zande
3. Daniel Clos
4. Christian Vietoris
5. Franck Mailleux
6. James Jakes
7.
JON LANCASTER ART Grand Prix
