Ricciardo bids to win again as his title rivals turn on the pressure

With just six races remaining in which to decide the outcome of the Cooper Tires British F3 International Series, next weekend's (15/16 Aug) double-header at Silverstone will be crucial to the hopes of the title aspirants.

British Formula 3 has rarely been more competitive and exciting, with eight different drivers from six different teams having scored race wins already this season and plenty more competitors lining up to take their turns in the limelight.

Australia's Daniel Ricciardo has led the championship all season and arrives at Silverstone with as big a lead as he's ever had - he's 37 points ahead of his closest rival, Walter Grubmüller, thanks to a win and a second-place finish late last month at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

The championship title is now Ricciardo's to lose, and he'll be careful not to repeat the unforced error he made at Silverstone in May, when he spun his Volkswagen-powered Dallara in qualifying. Daniel has won four races, including one victory at Silverstone, and he says he'll take more if he gets the slightest chance. But with one eye on where his Carlin/Red Bull predecessor Jaime Alguersuari now finds himself - in a Toro Rosso F1 seat - Ricciardo won't be taking too may chances and risk fumbling his title bid.

Silverstone is home turf for the T-Sport team, and the Brackley-based squad is on good form, as witnessed by race wins last month at Donington for Wayne Boyd and at Spa for Adriano Buzaid. When he's not at home in Ulster, 18-year-old Boyd bases himself in Silverstone village, so next weekend's races are a 'home game'.

"Our testing pace at Silverstone was really good," says Wayne, "and I think we can be very confident going into it. We have made some aerodynamic modifications now and changed a few other bits and pieces since we last tested there, back in March, so it will be interesting to see how we get on."

Boyd is hoping for a typical summer's day at Silverstone - in other words, sunshine and showers, the very conditions which gave him the opportunity to display his consummate car control at Donington. "It's very difficult to pass in F3 in dry conditions, because as soon as you get close to someone your front downforce disappears. When the conditions are a bit greasy it's a lot easier to pass - it all comes down to car control and your confidence in slippery conditions."

Wayne is planning on giving it his all up to the end of the year: "This year there's been quite a lot to learn and I go out in every race with the aim of pushing as hard as I can so that I learn as much as I can. I don't go out there with the aim of trying to finish second; I always go out to give it my best and that will stay the same to the end of the year."

And Boyd has words of warning for championship leader Ricciardo: "I think he's going to find it tough to stay ahead of the Hitech drivers; Grubmüller can definitely catch him in the championship. Daniel is trying to do a few of the Renault World Series rounds as well, and maybe that will confuse him a bit."

At Silverstone in May, on the Grand Prix circuit, Ricciardo and Renger van der Zande took the wins, the latter on his debut with the Hitech team. Since then van der Zande has won once more and his team-mate at the Buckingham team, Grubmüller, has won twice also.

Max Chilton was quick at Silverstone in May, too, netting pole position for both races and a brace of podium finishes in his AON-backed Carlin car; he and his team-mates Henry Arundel and Philip Major will be only too keen to support Ricciardo's title bid if the best way of doing it is to bag a win for themselves.

Daventry's Fortec team is another with a winning pedigree; West Midlander Riki Christodoulou came up trumps for the squad at Snetterton, and scored his first podium finish of the season at Silverstone in May. Riki's Northampton-domiciled team-mate, Spain's Victor Garcia, claimed his first podium at Spa and will be looking to build on that.

Raikkonen Robertson Racing and their regular twosome, Japan's Daisuke Nakajima and Colombia's Carlos Huertas, have shown flashes of pace this season and will be joined at Silverstone by Taiwanese racer Kevin Chen. Fresh from their best showings of the season at Spa, Stephane Richelmi and Mugen Honda-powered boys Hywel Lloyd and Jay Bridger ought to be a factor also. Reigning National Class Champion Jay is pinning his hopes on a recent aero upgrade for his Litespeed Racing-run Mygale.

NATIONAL TITLE BECKONS FOR McKENZIESeason-long National Class points leader Daniel McKenzie has a mathematical chance of clinching championship victory next weekend. The 20-year-old Fortec Motorsport driver is currently 65 points clear of his only real rival for the title, Brazilian Gabriel Dias, and if Dan can stretch that advantage to 85 points by close of play at Silverstone he will have the job sewn up with four races in hand.

However, T-Sport driver Dias is not going down without a fight; he's won the class four times this season, including a double win at Silverstone in May, and he was on top again last time out, at Spa-Francorchamps.

The National Class welcomes a new competitor at Silverstone in the shape of Italian Michele Faccin, who will race a second Mugen Honda-powered Dallara for Team West Tec, alongside the squad's regular team member, Russian Max Snegirev.

"I know the people behind Team West-Tec well and I know they do a really good job at engineering a fast car so I am really looking forward to it," says Faccin. "I won't have much chance to try the car before the meeting but I am looking forward to racing at Silverstone where I have enjoyed racing in the past."

Litespeed's Victor Correa is the season's other National Class race winner, and he will be out to cement his third place overall in the National standings.

British F3 is sponsored by US tyre manufacturer Cooper Tire and is further supported by motorsport insurance specialist AON, by Sunoco Racing Fuels and by Anglo American Oil Company.

Cooper Tires British F3 - provisional standingsInternational Class1  Daniel Ricciardo  1772  Walter Grubmüller  1403  Renger van der Zande  1254  Adriano Buzaid  995  Max Chilton  906  Riki Christodoulou  867  Nick Tandy  688  Daisuke Nakajima  679  Marcus Ericsson  6510  Henry Arundel  64 etc

National Class1  Daniel McKenzie  2492  Gabriel Dias  1843  Victor Correa  1304  Max Snegirev  805  Aaron Steele  22

The Mirror.co.uk British F3 Challenge Cup1  Max Chilton  992  Henry Arundel  833  Riki Christodoulou  78 etc