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Webb Makes Dream F3 Debut with Double Second
Webb Makes Dream F3 Debut with Double Second
Manchester-based racing driver, Oliver Webb (19) made a dream debut with two second places at his home circuit of Oulton Park in Cheshire over Easter weekend.
Webb was racing in the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series and was the fastest rookie driver in the prestigious, single-seater racing series throughout the weekend. Webb had gone to Oulton Park in confident mood with testing having gone well throughout the winter. Qualifying went to plan with Webb placing himself second at the front of the grid for both full points races.
Lining up second for the 30 minute race, Webb was confident and gunning to get past early Championship rival Jean-Eric Vergne at the start. Webb got close to the French driver, who is heavily supported by the Red Bull energy drink empire, and was closing right up until the safety car period closed the pack back up. Vergne managed his tyres more effectively during the interruption, keeping the temperatures up, and was able to pull away once the safety car returned to the pits. Webb came back at the French driver late on, but had to settle for second.
Race two saw a new system with a reversed grid and a proportion of grid slots allocated by a draw after race one. Conditions were tricky with a drying, but still wet track making for difficult driving on slick tyres. Webb ended up with position six on the grid and made a poor start, with wheelspin hampering his getaway and pushing him down the order. Webb recovered back to eighth position by the end, in a race that only counts for half the usual number of points.
For the third race of the weekend, Webb was third on the grid and looking to repeat his podium success from race one. A good start saw Webb catapult himself into second place, where he remained for much of the race. Early on a slight hiccup with Webb’s Dallara Mercedes left him losing 2.5 seconds in one lap. Without the lost time the race could have had an even better conclusion, with Webb catching Vergne rapidly in the closing stages of the 45 minute race.
After an excellent debut weekend, Webb was delighted, commenting: “It would be difficult to get a better start to my F3 career than that. To be the top-placed first year driver in the Championship and get two second places against such a talented field is fantastic. I didn’t have a great test at Oulton Park in my pre-season, so I am really fired up now for Silverstone where I topped the time sheets during testing. It is great after such a long and intense pre-season to finally get out there and show the hard work has been worthwhile.”Webb will be back in action on the 1st of May at Silverstone, the home of the British F1 Grand Prix and British Racing Driver’s Club.
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