Brits to watch in 2014

ALEX LYNN

Age: 20

Career highlights
2014 GP3 with Carlin
2013 3rd in F3 European championship and Macau GP winner
2011 Formula Renault UK champ (12 wins)

Macau Grand Prix winner Alex Lynn switches to GP3 this season thanks to earning a place as a Red Bull Junior in a deal in which new team boss Trevor Carlin played a role.

Lynn has yet to even drive a GP3 car, but was happy to move out of F3 after winning what is effectively the category's 'World Cup' in the Far East.

Since romping to the Formula Renault UK Championship with Fortec Motorsport in 2011, he has raced in F3, firstly in the 2012 British series with Fortec and then in last year's European championship with Prema Powerteam.

Fortec European F3 team manager Russell Dixon engineered Lynn in both 2011 and '12, and remains friends with his former driver. He oversaw the Essex ace's transition from a raw rookie to a polished Renault champion and then, ultimately, to someone who was able to take pole position for his first Macau GP - his last outing with Fortec.

"I think he can win the title," says Dixon, who has some GP3 engineering experience. "He'll be able to look after the tyres very well [Lynn has a very smooth style at the wheel] and get the most out of the car without driving over the limit."

Dixon, in common with other members of the Fortec team, believes Lynn could have succeeded had he stayed with the squad for last year's Euro F3 campaign. Indeed, former team manager Mick Kouros, who has now joined Team West-Tec, reckoned Lynn could have won the title with Fortec.

"It's a shame he didn't stay with us," says Dixon. "It's hard to say what would have happened. In his first year he was quick but made a few mistakes in qualifying and didn't race to his best ability.

"In his year with Prema all those issues were sorted out. It's just a natural process; you need that winter to mature and think about things."

Dixon believes that Lynn's biggest challenge will be GP3's reversed-grid races, something he has only limited experience of from British F3. "Those races will be interesting," he says. "Alex normally excels at leading from the front and now he'll have to get involved in some wheel-to-wheel battling."

WILL BULLER

Age: 21

Career highlights
2014 FR3.5 with Arden Motorsport
2013 3rd in British F3 (2 wins), selected races in FR3.5 and F3 European championship

Buller ruffled plenty of feathers of the full-timers during his cameo appearances in FR3.5 last season, and he had more than one team chasing his signature for a full campaign this year.

JANN MARDENBOROUGH

Age: 22

Career highlights
2014 GP3 with Arden Motorsport; 3 wins in Toyota Racing Series
2011 Winner of Nissan GT Academy

The Welshman is the second GP3-racing Brit to be named as a Red Bull protege for 2014, and didn't get his first experience in a competition car (a GT4-spec Nissan) until late 2011 - when stablemate Alex Lynn was busy claiming his Formula Renault UK title.

But Mardenborough, unlike Lynn, at least has some experience of the GP3 machine, thanks to three days in last November's post-season Abu Dhabi test, in which he ran strongly to be a regular top-eight contender.

Not only that, but Nissan's golden boy is lining up with the Arden Motorsport team that ran F1-bound Daniil Kvyat to the title in 2013, the first year of the beefed-up and more-powerful Renault-powered Dallara.

The GP3 chassis (below) and tyres are regarded as less 'extreme' than Formula 3 and Formula Renault 3.5 cars, with less of a penalty for an improvisatory driving style. Mardenborough, with his GT background and no proper karting experience, should therefore be more comfortable - and competitive - than he was in F3.

NICK YELLOLY

Age: 23

Career highlights
2014 GP3 with Status
2013 6th in GP3, 1 race in FR3.5

This year marks Yelloly's third GP3 season in four years (having spent 2012 winning races in FR3.5), as he switches from Carlin to Status for what has to be a race-winning, championship-contending assault.

ADRIAN QUAIFE-HOBBS

Age: 23

Career highlights
2014 GP2 with Rapax
2012 Auto GP champion (5 wins)

Built a solid foundation in his rookie GP2 season with Hilmer Motorsport, scoring points on five of the 11 weekends last year. Rapax was in the title fight with Stefano Coletti last year, so Quaife-Hobbs should have a good car.

OLIVER ROWLAND

Age: 21

Career highlights
2014 FR3.5 with Fortec Motorsports
2013 2nd in Formula Renault Eurocup (3 wins)
2011 2nd in FR UK (4 wins)

Rowland moves up the Renault single-seater ladder with the continued support of the Racing Steps Foundation.

Those in charge of the scheme are well aware of his talents, but his mentors occasionally have to crack the whip to keep him focused and in tip-top shape physically.

His two years in the super-competitive FR Eurocup didn't yield a title, but he was best of the rest behind the two runaway title rivals - current McLaren F1 junior Stoffel Vandoorne and new Toro Rosso F1 racer Daniil Kvyat - in 2012, and fought season-long with new Red Bull junior recruit Pierre Gasly for the 2013 crown.

It's come as little surprise to see Rowland adapt quickly to the extra power and grip of the FR3.5 Dallara and, given the heroics of Robin Frijns and Vandoorne in making that step up over the past two years, there will be no reason for him not to aim for the title.

Both Frijns and Vandoorne also starred with Fortec, so Rowland can be sure he has a team behind him capable of getting the best out of a rookie.

EMIL BERNSTORFF

Age: 20

Career highlights
2014 GP3 with Carlin
2013 3rd in German F3 (6 wins)

Won several races in German F3 last year and took a podium finish in a one-off with Prema in the Masters of F3. As he did at Zandvoort, he will form a strong partnership with Alex Lynn, this time in GP3 with Carlin.

WILL STEVENS

Age: 22

Career highlights
2014 FR3.5 with Strakka Racing
2013 FR3.5 with P1 Motorsport (5 podiums); Caterham F1 test
2011 Race winner in Formula Renault Eurocup
PLUS 6 podiums in FR3.5

AUTOSPORT: What was behind your decision to stay in FR3.5 for a third season rather than move across to GP2 with your Caterham support?

Will Stevens: It was a long and hard decision. You can see with what Kevin Magnussen did last year that staying in FR3.5 does work, especially for him to go straight into F1 with McLaren after winning the championship. It's important to be winning races, and we felt that if we can mount a title challenge and win races in World Series this year then that is not only the best option in terms of getting me to F1 but also in terms of other career opportunities.

AS: Did your strong finish to 2013 influence the decision as well?

WS: Last year was really frustrating. We had the pace in most places, but for whatever reasons we never really got to show what we could do. Things didn't go our way, or we were breaking down, it was this, that and the other. Nothing fell our way. So we feel like we have left-over business in World Series because we don't think last year showed what we truly had. This is the first time in my car-racing career that I've had two years with the same team in the same championship. I think it's nice to have stability to work towards the ultimate goal of winning the championship.

AS: So Caterham is interested in more than just putting you in one of its own GP2 cars?

WS: Caterham have been really good to us. Obviously GP2 would look like the obvious choice, but the main target is to get me to F1, and if you want to fast-track that process rather than doing two years in GP2, then World Series is the best option.

JOLYON PALMER

Age: 23

Career highlights
2014 GP2 with DAMS
2010 2nd in F2 (5 wins)
PLUS 3 GP2 race wins

For his fourth season in GP2, Palmer knows that it's make-or-break time for his single-seater career. Nothing less than the title with multiple champion DAMS will do, and with three wins already under his belt at this level (one with iSport at Monaco in 2012; two with Carlin in Hungary and Singapore last year), he knows he needs to deliver.

"It's a great opportunity for me and the track record of the team is really good, winning this title with [Romain] Grosjean and [Davide] Valsecchi - and the FR3.5 title with [Kevin] Magnussen, which got him into F1," he says. "This year is 'must win'. I'll give it everything and am looking forward to cracking on."

His best GP2 points position so far, however, was seventh last year, and Palmer knows he needs to attack from the start if he's going to emulate his European F2 title-winning dad Jonathan: "Last year, I felt I could fight for the title - this year, the difference is I know I can.

"The second half of last year was really strong, the pace with Carlin was excellent, but we needed a better start and more luck. With all that experience, it's a matter of putting it all together."

DEAN STONEMAN

Age: 23

Career highlights
2014 GP3 with Manor
2010 F2 champion

Returns to single-seaters for the first time since illness forced him out in 2011. A winner in the Carrera Cup GB last season, he'll run in GP3 with the Marussia-affiliated Manor team.

DINO ZAMPARELLI

Age: 21

Career highlights
2014 GP3 with ART
2011 FRenault BARC champion

Showed flashes of form with Manor in GP3 last year. This season switches to series powerhouse ART Grand Prix thanks to strong backing from his home city of Bristol, finally banishing his financial worries.

JACK HARVEY

Age: 20

Career highlights
2014 Indy Lights with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
2013 2 GP3 race wins
2012 British F3 champion (7 wins)
2010 2nd in Formula BMW Europe

This year, Harvey will become the latest to join an ever-growing list of Brits seeking their fortunes in the USA. In keeping with recent trends, he's tying the next chapter of his career to Schmidt Peterson Motorsports' crack Indy Lights team. It's a move that places him in the footsteps of Oliver Webb (2012) and IndyCar-bound Jack Hawksworth (2013).

Despite a few new upgrades, the Lights car is an antique, and significantly lower-tech than the GP3 and F3 machinery that Harvey has been spoiled by over the past couple of years. Pre-season testing is helping him to adapt to the car's idiosyncrasies, but there is still the small matter of ovals.

"A lot of people who haven't driven on ovals think it's probably quite easy," he says. "Actually, I think it's probably more challenging than a regular circuit, because you have to be so precise. The little details make a big difference."

As things stand the 2014 Lights field looks relatively small, but you only need two fast drivers to create some tension in the championship, and with Matthew Brabham, Luiz Razia, Zach Veach and Peter Dempsey in the field, Harvey knows he does not have an easy ride ahead.

"Having looked at what other people have achieved, we're hoping we can do the same thing," he says. "At the same time, we know it's going to be a big challenge. It's not something we're just going to waltz into and dominate without putting any effort in."

TREVOR CARLIN ON HIS F3 TALENTS...

JORDAN KING

Age: 20

Career highlights
2014 F3 European with Carlin
2013 British F3 champion (4 wins)

Trevor Carlin: "He started off at a reasonable level with us and then just kept improving last year. He's a very consistent driver and never makes much fuss, never off the circuit or shunting. He's very easy to work with and Mark Owen - our legendary F3 engineer! - has taught him everything he needs to know. He takes it all in and delivers, no histrionics, no drama. Give him a good car and he'll get a time out of it."

TOM BLOMQVIST

Age: 20

Career highlights
2014 F3 European with Carlin
2010 Formula Renault UK champion (3 wins)

TC: "He proved how quick he was when he won Formula Renault UK but he hasn't had a decent shot at anything since then. He's had the odd flash of speed but with our team, and a lot of data, he could really shine. He was quick straight away with us in testing, bang on the money with no fuss. What we can do is fine-tune what he has to get results - he's already made a massive step."

JAKE DENNIS

Age: 18

Career highlights
2014 F3 European with Carlin
2012 Formula Renault NEC champion (3 wins)
2011 InterSteps champion (8 wins)

TC: "I've watched Jake's whole career because he's with Racing Steps, and to my mind he was every bit as quick in Formula Renault as Oliver Rowland. He's massively quick and he will be rookie of the year. If we can get some good testing under his belt I'll be disappointed if he's not top-eight at the first round. A lovely kid and very focused."

BUBBLING UNDER

Young British drivers have a strong recent history in European Formula Renault 2.0, and that trend should continue in 2014. Following on from Oliver Rowland's title-challenging Eurocup campaign last year, the top two from the 2013 FR Northern European Cup are Britain's likeliest source of success in what is arguably the toughest junior single-seater championship in the world.

Caterham-backed Parry steps up to Formula Renault Eurocup © LAT

McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award winner Matt Parry is a Caterham Formula 1 junior and enters the Formula Renault Eurocup off the back of a title-winning FR NEC season. He should be a frontrunner, but the step up is a tough one - as Jake Dennis, 2012 Award winner and NEC champion, discovered with a podium-less run to fourth overall last year.

Parry's Fortec team-mate Jack Aitken was runner-up in the NEC last season. Although he didn't win a race, he showed well given his relative lack of experience. A title shot may be tough, but the 18-year-old should be in the mix for podiums.

Into Fortec's vacant NEC seats comes a pair of F1 juniors. Caterham's new youngster Seb Morris didn't quite put together a BRDC F4 season capable of clinching the title but won a race and was an ever-present at the sharp end. He should be a title contender, but his team-mate is more of an unknown.

Ben Barnicoat, now on the McLaren driver-development programme and the latest Racing Steps Foundation single-seater protege, won on his car-racing debut in last year's Formula Renault BARC end-of-season Autumn Cup. The NEC will prove a much sterner test, but he's had a busy testing schedule and is well prepared.

Another NEC candidate is BRDC F4 champion Jake Hughes. The Mark Burdett Motorsport recruit has shown well in pre-season testing and, although he lacks the experience of some of his main rivals, his raw ability means he should run at the front.

George Russell is stepping into Hughes's old Lanan Racing seat in BRDC F4, and the highly rated karting graduate will dovetail that with a Formula Renault ALPS campaign with the champion Prema Powerteam outfit.

Another youngster competing on these shores and worth keeping an eye on is British Formula Ford sophomore Harrison Scott. The 18-year-old emerged as runner-up last year and is sticking with Falcon, arguably as the title favourite.