CONFIDENCE-BOOSTING TEST GIVES JARVIS FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Reigning Formula Renault UK with Michelin champion Oliver Jarvis (Burwell, Cambs) says he has a difficult choice after a confidence-boosting test in a World Series by Renault car at the Paul Ricard circuit left him with plenty to think about.
The 21-year-old was invited, along with Formula Renault champions and other top young drivers from across Europe, to test the FR3.5 car in the south of France. After finishing eighth in the official test with a time of 1m 18.619s, Jarvis admits he faces a tough decision between his two favoured options.
“I’ve come back really happy with how it went but it makes the decision between Formula Three and World Series a lot harder,” admitted Jarvis. “Having driven the World Series car I’m extremely impressed with it and it looks a very good option. The power and downforce the car creates is quite phenomenal.”
Jarvis, who on Sunday became the fourth successive Formula Renault UK driver to win the McLaren Autosport BRDC award, continued: “It’s closer to Formula One than the F3 series, which may make it more worthwhile. The choice will come down to which formula is most looked at and highly regarded. My next career move will still see me developing as a driver but also as a stepping stone to higher formulas.”
Despite driving an unfamiliar circuit, Jarvis was happy with the way his performances improved throughout the two-day test. “I adapted to the car quite quickly because I’d had a few laps in it already,” he said. “But Paul Ricard is a very demanding track and it was difficult to get the most out of the car on the first morning. In the afternoon I was much quicker and went faster again on Wednesday. It made me think that if I did do it next year, I’d be able to get into the top five or maybe even onto the podium.”
Winning the Formula Renault UK championship launched the careers of F1 ace Kimi Raikkonen, Antonio Pizzonia and Pedro de la Rosa and now Jarvis is tipped to follow in their footsteps. He expects to reach a decision early in the New Year and was impressed with the set up of World Series by Renault.
“It’s given me a headache but it’s a nice situation in many ways,” Jarvis added. “I need to sit down and have a long think about what I’m going to do. I had the equivalent of a day’s testing in total and was able to see how races and championships would be run in World Series and it all looks good.”
In the first seven races of the 2005 Formula Renault with Michelin championship, Jarvis notched up four wins and three second places. The Manor Motorsport driver claimed a further five podium finishes to hold off his rivals in the closing stages of the season to clinch the title in the last round at Brands Hatch.
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