Every team loves a home race and at Hitech we’re no different. Round 7 of the 10-event FIA Formula 3 calendar brings the championship to Silverstone, the great British circuit at which single-seater racing has its roots.
This historic venue, which has hosted the British Grand Prix since 1948, is just a few hundred metres from Hitech’s operational base at Silverstone. Its marks the culmination an intensive mid-season triple-header that took in Barcelona, then Austria just a week later, and now returns to UK asphalt.
With only four rounds of the championship remaining, the team made a big leap forward last time out at Spielberg. Luke Browning recaptured the lead in the drivers’ standings, having previously staked a claim on the title for the two opening rounds at Sakhir and Melbourne. He secured Pole for the Feature Race, which he then went on to win with a commanding lights-to-flag performance.
Martinius Stenshorne also scored his second podium of the season, finishing second in the Sprint Race at the Red Bull Ring. The duo’s combined points-scoring efforts saw Hitech improve its Teams’ Championship standing by one place to fourth.
Sadly, as a result of a penalty applied earlier in the season, Martinius is required to sit out the next event and the team will run 17-year-old Australian James Wharton this weekend. James enjoyed a trophy-laden career in karting that started in 2011 before graduating to single seaters at the Italian F4 Championship in 2022. He then won the Formula 4 UAE Championship in 2023 and finish as the runner-up in the Euro 4 Series in the same year. Currently, he is taking part in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, and after four rounds he has two podium finishes and two Pole Positions to his name and is currently sixth in the Drivers’ Standings.
Cian Shields continues to make great progress in his F3 debut and in recent rounds has been enjoying some of his best qualifying and race performances so far.
Silverstone is always a firm favourite for many on the grid. Its high-speed nature means it demands plenty from the cars, in terms of setup and tyre management. The downforce requirement is high due to the combination of the long DRS zones and the sweeping nature of the circuit which puts an emphasis on the right balance going through the corners. The focus on heavy braking is saved only for Turns 3 and the Vale Chicane which demand sudden deceleration.
The white-walled Hard compound Pirelli tyres have been selected for this weekend. With the high-speed corners that make up the Silverstone circuit’s layout, the tyres are subjected to high loads, particularly on the front axle, meaning the hardest compound in the Pirelli range are required such are the forces on the tyres in the corners.
Friday 5 July
08.40 Free Practice
14.05 Qualifying
Saturday 6 July
09.20 Sprint Race (18 laps)
Grid set by reversing Top 12 of Qualifying Results
Sunday 7 July
08.20 Feature Race (22 laps)
Grid set by Qualifying Results
All times local
