Formula 3 a go-go...

Until last week Matt Davies was not on the entry list for this year's British F3 Championship, but a last-minute deal with Team Avanti ensured the Brit made it onto the Silverstone grid. Not content with just taking part, Davies scored a solid sixth place in the first race and a lights-to-flag victory in the second to grab the overall lead of the Championship.



"I was pretty confident after qualifying that I could win if I got to the first corner first. I'm still amazed because the car is absolutely brand new and it only turned a wheel for the first time last week at Snetterton. I'm really pleased."


During the off-season, everyone expected Jaguar drivers James Courtney and Andre Lotterer to be the pace-setters of the championship. However, when the teams finally hit the track after the winter testing ban was lifted in February, the Big Cat's junior squad was surprisingly off the pace. Courtney managed to redress the balance at Silverstone with an impressive F3 debut. The young Australian took a cool victory in the opening race and eighth place in race two to put him to equal second in the standings with Andy Priaulx and Gianmaria Bruni.



"We had a good first race and then learnt some things from the second race. I'm really happy because to win is a great way to start the season. It's only my second time of running in the dry here so I was just learning the circuit. In the first race I just tried to build up a lead and then ease back a bit because I didn't want to risk throwing it off. I didn't qualify as well for the second so it was always going to be harder."



"You just have to hope that the guy in front makes a mistake. Everybody's running the same chassis, so it's quite hard to find that little bit extra. The guy that makes the least mistakes ends up winning. It's just all about where you are on the grid. Qualifying is just so important, especially because the tyres are only good for maybe the first five or six laps and after that they slow down. So you have to make sure you get in there and put a good time in straight away."


Andy Priaulx opted for a move to the Silverstone-based Alan Docking Racing team for 2001 after missing out on drives with the Jaguar Junior team and last year's championship-winning Manor Motorsport outfit. The Guernseyman fared well in winter testing and managed to carry his pace into the opening races with very respectable second and fifth places.



"I'm not surprised to have got a second place. We were quick in pre-season testing. Fifth place in the second race wasn't so good, but now it's just a case of pushing on and improving the set-up of the car. I've just got to stay focused and concentrate on winning races."



"I'm well aware that decisions on drivers are nearly always political, but I'm really glad to be with the Alan Docking team. Everybody's really positive and very much wants to win. It's actually going to be extra satisfying when I can come back and beat the other guys."


Gianmaria Bruni qualified a lowly 11th for the first race, but managed to fight his way up to fifth by the finish. For race two the Italian secured a front row slot next to Matt Davies and drove a faultless race to hold position until the chequered flag - an impressive feat given that by the time Bruni's Fortec Dallara returned to the pits after the race, the front left tyre was completely flat.



"I told the mechanics on the radio that there was something wrong with the steering and that there was a strange feeling. They just said to me that I could either come into the pits and finish the race there, or I could stay out and finish the race - so I stayed out..."



"I came here expecting to win, but I'm very happy with second place and it shows how good the new Renault engine is. I think it will get better and better. I want to win and the whole team wants to win, so I will try my best."

The second round is in two weeks' time at Snetterton and after such a roaring start to the season, only a mug would part with hard-earned cash to bet on a possible winner. With very different top 10s from both Silverstone races, it's anybody's guess...