Gearing error costs Sims

The British driver has been tipped as one of the title favourites following his switch from Mucke Motorsport to the multiple title-winning ART outfit. But while just 0.2 seconds covered the top five in the first qualifying session of the year, Sims was more than eight tenths adrift in sixth.

"We had two fourth gears in the car, so on upshifts it was going first-second-fourth-fourth," Sims told AUTOSPORT. "It was just a mistake - we changed a gear at the last minute and the mechanic just read the number wrong.

"Considering that, sixth is not too bad. I don't know if that accounts for all of the deficit, but I'm sure we will be in the hunt in the races."

Sims and his ART team-mate Valtteri Bottas believe that this weekend's races will be wide open, due to the fact that the F3 cars are using the full-length Mistral straight this weekend.

"There will be lots of overtaking in the races so we're still in a good position," said Sims. "It's going to be wide open, so there's a good chance to get a lot of points."

Bottas added that he expects the frontrunners to be able to contend for victory in the reversed grid race as well due to the slipstream effect.

"Nobody is going to get away in the races," said the Finn. "Maybe we are missing a bit in the final sector because of the low downforce, but even if you lose time elsewhere you can make it up in the tow.

"I think there will be a chance to win the Sunday race even if you win on Saturday, because with that straight everybody will be able to pass."