Davidson says 'I've got no pressure'

The McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Young Driver of the Year is confident that he can repeat the kind of performance he put in at Pau this year to claim victory. And he believes that with the world's media interested in the fortunes of Sato, who steps up to race for Jordan in Formula 1 next year, he can be left alone to focus on his driving.

"Sato's the one with all the pressure here, I haven't got any," said Davidson. "I'm coming here looking to be the first rookie F3 driver since David Coulthard and Ayrton Senna to win and I think I have got a chance of victory.

"I'm approaching this event in the same way that I did at Pau - just to have fun. I think when you have that approach I think you can get the best out of yourself."

Davidson has watched a video of last year's race, where Sato crashed out at the first corner, and spent Wednesday lapping the circuit in a Moke.

"I've got a pretty good idea of where the track goes now and I think if I can get into the top six in qualifying then I know anything can happen in the race. I love these international races, I love new circuits and I love tracks where you have to be aggressive.

"But I want to make sure that I don't get too carried away and put the car in the wall," he vowed.

Practice for the prestigious event begins on Thursday, with qualifying on Friday and the race - which is run over two legs - on Sunday.