Bianchi eyes points despite crash

The ART Grand Prix driver leads the championship by 25 points from Christian Vietoris after six rounds, but that lead is likely to be reduced this weekend with his German rival starting fourth on the grid.

The Brands Hatch Indy circuit is traditionally the toughest on the calendar for overtaking, but Bianchi still believes he has a chance of getting into the points this weekend.

"The aim is still to take points from both races," the Frenchman told AUTOSPORT. "That means getting into the top eight today, and then we can get a good result tomorrow [in the reversed-grid race]. But it will be very difficult here."

Bianchi's ART-run Dallara-Mercedes had been fitted with a new floor for this weekend, and the team suspects that his shunt at Paddock Hill Bend in qualifying was due to setting the ride height too low.

"The car was running a bit low at the front, so it was rubbing on the ground," said the championship leader. "Then, when I put more steering on, I spun. It was just a mistake."

The 20-year-old pulled off a surprise double win earlier in the season at Zandvoort - another track where passing is tough - having started eighth for the second race of the weekend.

But despite proving that he can overtake where others have failed, he is expecting it to be even harder to come through the field this weekend.

"This is the hardest place to overtake," he said. "There are no long straights. Maybe the second corner is a chance, but it's not a long braking zone.

"My best chance will be to make up places at the start and on the first lap, and then maybe there will be some incidents ahead of me."