Felipe Nasr Brands Hatch Review
Carlin's Felipe Nasr destroyed the opposition during round 12 of the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series at a rain-lashed Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit this afternoon, Sunday, 19th June, on his way to a truly sensational fourth win of the season. Off the back of a fine second place during round 10 on Saturday and a top six finish during this morning's 'sprint race', round 11, the 18-year-old from Brasilia was untouchable in the last of the weekend's outings to extend his championship lead to a magnificent 45 points. Rain before the start of round 12 meant full, wet-weather settings would most probably be the way to go - what wasn't in any doubt was the use of treaded, wet-weather tyres. Carlin elected to run with a full wet set-up on Felipe's car and it was borne out to be the perfect choice. Starting third on the grid, the championship leader moved into second place straight away and then set about pressuring team-mate Rupert Svendsen-Cook before passing him for the lead at Graham Hill Bend on lap seven. Immediately stamping his authority on the race, Felipe was in a league of his own and pulled out an advantage of over three seconds in just two laps prior to a Safety Car period on lap nine. As soon as racing resumed, the teenager's talent shone through with a simply awe-inspiring performance as he sealed a remarkable winning margin of 24.5 seconds - the biggest of the season so far in British F3. "This win is very special", said Felipe, "It was raining quite heavily before the start so we went for a full wet set-up, we took the risk as it could have dried-up later on but we were confident the track would stay wet to the end. I knew Rupert was slowing me down so I waited for my time and when it came, I made the move on him at turn three to take the lead. "From there, I didn't make any mistakes and we set some very quick lap times. I did see the track drying so I was a little bit scared we might have made the wrong decision on set-up but then the rain came again so it was all perfect for us. It's an amazing win, I'm really happy - the team deserves it for their hard work, big thanks to them for everything this weekend." This morning's 11th round again showcased Felipe's pace and racecraft with a strong drive from ninth on the grid - the starting position determined by virtue of the reversed top 10 finishing order from Saturday's encounter. Gaining four places on the opening lap alone, Felipe made great progress but unfortunately slipped to sixth at the re-start following a four-lap Safety Car period. Nurburgring in Germany is next on the calendar for the British F3 competitors with rounds 13, 14 and 15 of the 2011 season set to take place just a fortnight from now over the weekend 2nd/3rd July. Provisional 2011 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series Standings (after Rd12): 1st Felipe Nasr, 154pts