Mansell looking for F3 breakthrough in Austria
Aussie FIA Formula 3 racer Christian Mansell will be aiming for a breakthrough victory in Spielberg this weekend after his third runners-up Feature race finish of the season in Spain.
The Newcastle born Aussie was left satisfied but frustrated with his runners up spot to Arvid Lindblad in Catalunya, the fourth time he’s finished in the P2 spot over the last two seasons in the third tier FIA category.
Spain saw the F3 field utilising the medium tyre compound, which Mansell has yet to master in regards to deg-protection, but will be happy to be back on the P-Zero Red Soft tyres this Weekend.
“You can take what you want from this (Spain) but we are on a different tyre for Spielberg,” said the ART Grand Prix Aussie after the race.
Mansell struggled for race gains on the medium compound in Spain
“It’s going the way I want (the season) it to go on the Hard and the Soft tyres, just not necessarily on the Medium tyre.
“I think it is still very positive so far…we have a few more races back to back, Austria and Silverstone which are tracks that I like. We will see what that brings.
“It is very easy to move onto the weekend for me because it is a back-to-back which I like. I don’t like the gaps, it gives you an opportunity to sit on things so I don’t really like that. This back-to-back I quite like.”
Heading into Austria, the season’s halfway tipping point, Mansell finds himself with 56 points on the board, placing him seventh in the standings with room to move.
He’s only seven points behind Danish/German youngster Oliver Goethe, who has scored points in every race this season, and a big points Weeknd for Mansell could see him close the 28 point gap to the leading Leonardo Fornaroli.
It’s the third time that Mansell has paid a competitive visit to the Spielberg track, having taken a podium in the 2022 Euroformula Open Championship season, whilst he finished seventh in the F3 feature there last year.
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