Q & A with Brendon Hartley

The 18-year-old Formula Renault Eurocup champion has been a consistent front-runner in testing and is keen to get his British F3 career off to the best possible start at Oulton Park this weekend.

Q. How has pre-season testing gone?

Brendon Hartley: It's been good, we've been making some good progress. It's hard to say where everyone is before the first race, but I think we'll see this weekend who has the pace. I think I've still got plenty of room for improvement, which is a good thing - it means we've not reached our maximum yet. I've just got to keep working with my engineer to keep improving.

Q. Is it going to be a problem not knowing all the British tracks?

BH: I don't like to put too much emphasis on learning new tracks. I think if you're a good enough driver you should be able to learn a new track within 10 or 15 laps anyway. From what I've seen of English tracks, they are a little more difficult to learn than in Europe - they're quite tight and bumpy - but I don't think it's going to be a big problem.

Q. You've been working hard on developing the new Dallara F308, has that gone well?

BH: Yes, we've certainly made a lot of improvements but, to be honest, most of the time was going to come from me anyway. I'm quite new to the car, so the majority of the emphasis has to be on me to improve myself. We've found a set up that I'm comfortable with and that's the most important thing. Now that I'm confident in the car, we'll get more gain from any development work.

Q. How well have you gelled with your team and engineer?

BH: I enjoy working with the team and there's a really good atmosphere, which is important for me. It's so much easier to go out there and do the job when the team supports you 100 per cent. My engineer Matt [Callaghan] has been really good with me and he wants to win just as much as I do.

Q. How different is the F3 car from the Formula Renault you raced last year?

BH: The extra power isn't really the biggest issue, the main thing is the amount of grip. Until you get to F1, I don't think there's a car that goes quicker through slow corners - which is quite impressive. It's really nimble, with very high downforce - much more than in the Formula Renault.

In the fast corners it's a bit daunting sometimes and you have to trust the car, because you can't believe there is that much grip. But it's getting easier and easier, although it's difficult to get those final few tenths. I think that's why it's traditionally been a championship where F1 drivers come from - because there's so much to learn.

I did the F3 Masters last year and came fourth, and maybe that made the transition seem easier than it actually is. Circumstances were on my side a little that weekend because I already knew the circuit very well. The reality is that I've still got a lot to learn.

Q. How do you feel ahead of the first race?

BH: I get pretty nervous. Not as nervous as when I first started competing, it does get easier with every race. I think if I wasn't getting nervous it would probably mean I should give up, because I wouldn't care anymore. Being nervous is a good thing for me, because it means that I'm really concentrating.