Carlin driver Mitch Gilbert was happy with his team’s progress despite the disappointing outcome in the GP3 Series.
A good lap time saw the 21-year-old Prince Lubricants-sponsored racer finish ninth in qualifying, leaving him with hopes of a Top 10 finish. But after pushing too hard at the start of the first race he went off track and when he hit a slight bump as he returned, the car span and he was forced to take up the rear. However, the Australian driver – now living in Twickenham – still left Silverstone in a positive frame of mind.
The ADD Motorsports-supported racer said: “I felt good all weekend and qualifying went really well again. It was just one little mistake that ruined the good work. After stalling at the start of the last round, I overcompensated this time and pushed a bit hard after another driver got in front and went off the track. When I came back on, I hit a bump I didn’t see and it sent me spinning and left me last. But even though it left me at the back in the next race as well, we had competitive times and I feel as though we are still making progress. It’s just a case of getting a weekend where everything falls into place together.”
Mitch was P20 in practice with all the Carlin drivers struggling for pace.
But after some changes to the car, things were a lot better in qualifying where he finished ninth to leave him confident going into the races. After the incident near the start of the first race, the driver showed some good pace - although got stuck behind another driver to finish 20th.
Starting from 20th in the second race, he concentrated on making a good start and getting a good first lap under his belt. He did both and was in 15th when he went to overtake another driver and was almost hit, frustratingly undoing all of the hard work and leaving him finishing in 21st place at the end. Now, he hopes things go his way when he races in Hungary in a few weeks time.
He added: “I don’t feel too disappointed with how the weekend went, it was just one of those things.
“We can see progress and our times were good, now we just need a bit more luck.
“Off the track things are great, so with the continued support of my brilliant sponsors Prince Lubricants and my team and family, hopefully we can start moving in the right direction in the Championship as well.”
