Four female drivers were given the opportunity to test the current Formula 3 car at Magny-Cours, France on September 16th and 17th. Three of the drivers selected are currently in W Series – Abbi Pulling, Chloe Chambers and Nerea Marti – whilst Hamda Al Qubaisi is competing in the Formula Regional European Championship.
The purpose of this test was to provide the drivers with the opportunity to get an understanding of all areas of the car, it’s set ups and the F3 environment. For all drivers other than Marti, this was their first outing in a Formula 3 spec car. Each driver was provided with three sets of slick Pirelli tyres to use throughout the day with reigning Formula 3 champion Victor Martins on hand to give advice and coach as well as acting as a reference driver.
Each morning, Martins established a reference track time before the drivers took to the track for some installation laps, short runs and data analysis. In the afternoon, the drivers would then complete two qualifying laps on fresh tyres and a race simulation for 12 laps on high fuel and the relevant set up.
A total of 50 laps were completed by each driver over the session.
Day 1: Abbi Pulling and Hamda Al Qubaisi
Didier Perrin (FIA Formula 3 Technical Director): “Abbi and Hamda did a great job today. They adapted quickly to the car and its challenges. They were able to give us some valuable feedback. They were very eager to learn as much as possible, and it’s been a pleasure to work with both.”
Abbi Pulling: “There was a lot to learn today, not only about the car, but also about myself. I came here with a big smile on my face. I really enjoyed it a lot. It’s been really amazing to work with the F3 team. It’s been a productive day.”
“The thing I liked the most about the car was the braking. I like the brakes! You can really put your whole body behind it and the car really stops. I learned so many things from this test to take away, more than anything I’ve probably ever learned. I want to take that with me for the future and to hopefully be in the Championship one day.”
“Victor was really helpful, even with the little things. He guided me on the race run, he told me to just go for it, that the tyre degradation won’t be as much as I thought it would be. When I was hesitant in the high-speed corners, he told me to trust it. I know him fairly well from the Alpine Academy, so it’s been really nice to have his support today.”
Hamda Al Qubaisi: “Honestly, it’s been such an amazing experience. I want to thank everyone who made this possible … Step by step, I was getting more confident in the car, I tried to improve my laps and my driving. I’m really happy with how the day went. I think it is a really good step forward, and I had a really good feeling with the car. I think for the future, this test will help a lot. This is a taste of what an FIA F3 car is. To have this feeling is important for my future.”
“Victor helped a lot. His advice is very straight-forward and clear. He helped me a lot with understanding the car. He’s the one who told me you don’t really know how much speed you can carry in the high-speed corners until you do it. So, he’s a big help. To have the FIA F3 Champion coach us, and he was very humble and kind to us, it was great to have him with us.”
Day 2: Chloe Chambers and Nerea Marti
Didier Perrin (FIA Formula 3 Technical Director): “It’s been another positive day, today. Both Chloe and Nerea were very focused on the job, and they made the most out of this test. We can already see how beneficial it has been for them.”
Chloe Chambers: “It went pretty well. I definitely learned a lot, I made some improvements, and it was good to just experience this, especially in a car that’s so different to everything else I’ve driven. It was good to get a taste of it.”
“It was very enjoyable to drive this car. I’ve enjoyed the team and everybody a lot. The car is just so incredible to drive. It’s definitely a big step-up, but obviously it’s going to help me in the long run.”
“It was very beneficial to have Victor here. He’s the reigning Champion so he’s proven to have a lot of speed and knowledge. That showed when he helped coach us. I’ve definitely taken along his advice and hopefully I will be able to apply it into my other racing in W Series.”
Nerea Marti: “The day was amazing. I learned a lot. Compared to my test last year, I made a lot of improvements. This year, I learned more on extracting the best of the old tyres. With new tyres, I need to put everything together because the Pirelli tyres are tricky to master. But I’m very happy, I think I gave my all.”
“Victor was able to impart his experience with us. He taught us how to properly warm up the tyres, or how to carry speed into the corners. That was very beneficial … It’s nice that they give us some advice to help us understand the car better and progress quicker.”
The W Series 2022 season returns on October 30th when the drivers take to Singapore.