Ed Jones got his 2014 season underway last weekend, with the opening round of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship at Silverstone.  Ed made a strong start to his first full campaign in the championship, taking two points scoring finishes before contact from another car in the third race took him out of sixth place.

As the 2014 field came together in an official race environment for the first time at Silverstone, the depth of talent in the 26 car field was clear.  Ed was quick to show his potential though, and was quick in both of Friday’s free practice sessions, seventh in session one improving to fourth in session two.  With a couple of hours further preparation before the first qualifying session of the season, Ed used the time to go through data and make small set-up changes ahead of qualifying.

With the Silverstone circuit creating a short and obvious peak in tyre performance, putting together the perfect lap at the right time was key to a successful qualifying performance.  Ed put in a strong performance to set his grid slot for the first race of the weekend, setting the seventh fastest time overall.  Ninth place for race two and a seventh place for the race three grid ensured he had put his Carlin run Volkswagen Dallara inside the top ten for all three of the weekend’s races.

As the lights went out for the first time in the 2014 season, Ed made a good start and held onto seventh place.  The Dubai based racer held his position until a safety car restart, dropping to eighth, the position he would take at the chequered flag.

Race two saw another solid performance from the 19 year-old, taking seventh and more points to add to his tally.  Ed was on for another strong result in race three until a spin put him out of contention.  Pushing hard for position, Ed was running in sixth and challenging for fifth, when contact from another car tapped him into a spin.  The Carlin man managed to recover, but was down in 15th place and out of the points.

Reflecting on the first race weekend of the season, Ed said, “The weekend has gone very well overall; it’s great that the work we’ve done as a team has allowed me to perform so well in the first event.  Coming here, the aim was to be consistently in the top ten and we achieved that to the extent that I think we have to raise our expectations going forward.

“We weren’t quite sure where we were pace wise based on testing, as everything changes when you move into a race environment, but it’s been really good.   Straight away in free practice we were at the front.  In qualifying I think I struggled slightly to get the full potential from the car’s capabilities but it was still a strong performance and inside the top ten.  We need to analyse this weekend carefully now and focus on moving forward.”

The next race of the season will take place in Hockenheim, Germany from 2 – 4 May.

FIA Formula Three European Championship rookie Ed Jones has made an impressive start to his weekend in Hockenheim and will line up in a fantastic third position for the first race of the weekend. The 19 year old enjoyed a solid qualifying session amid hotly contested conditions to move his car to the sharp end of the field and as a result the UAE based driver will line up on the second row of the grid for tomorrow’s race.

Building on his first Formula Three race weekend at Silverstone, Jones took to the track this morning for two free practice sessions with a mind to getting used to the Volkswagen powered Dallara car around the Hockenheimring. Making progress throughout the two 40 minute free practice sessions he was to finish with a combined tenth quickest time – showing his potential from the offset. Jones said of qualifying, ‘We did struggle a little bit for pace in the morning which was frustrating because we knew that the car was quick here however knowing this definitely still gave us confidence as we prepared for qualifying.’

Between the practice session and qualifying, Jones had the opportunity to sit with his engineer while light rain began to fall over the circuit. Thankfully by the time the cars were called for qualifying the track was completely dry and conditions overhead were cloudy but not threatening rain.

It was a slow start to qualifying with most of the field electing not to set a competitive time until the final half. Jones remained confident in his approach and soon moved his car into fourth position overall – once again showing his potential. Not content with that, the Carlin driver pushed for even more time and soon was lying in third position. His lap time was unable to be bettered and as the flag fell he was in an assured third position.

Looking ahead to starting third overall tomorrow, Jones said, ‘Pre-qualifying the weather kept us guessing but I think the track was a lot better this afternoon which helped us to get the confidence to set our quickest lap.

‘There were a lot of drivers who weren’t respecting the track limits but for me it was a case of playing it safe at turn one, not getting caught in that trap but keeping the speed there - and that worked perfectly as we now start the race tomorrow from third on the grid. So overall I’m very pleased with that result in only my second weekend in Formula Three.

‘All in all we put everything together and now look forward to starting the race tomorrow. My starts at Silverstone were pretty good so the plan is to continue like that and aim for the podium.’

Jones will hit the track for the first of three races tomorrow at 12.10 local time.

Ed Jones graced the FIA Formula Three European Championship podium this afternoon following a fantastic and assured race to second position in Hockenheim, Germany. The Carlin driver, embarking on only his first season in the FIA Formula Three European Championship, had a lightening start from third on the grid to snatch second position. Driving well Jones held his nerve despite a safety car period and pressure from drivers behind to clinch his first podium finish in the series.

After a strong qualifying yesterday afternoon, 2013 European F3 Open Champion Jones lined up third on the grid ahead of the opening race of the weekend. As the lights extinguished Jones reacted in the fastest way possible and was able to pass Antonio Giovinazzi for second position – and a provisional step on the podium.

In this position near the front Jones was able to stay out of trouble as those behind him became involved in a number of incidents resulting in the deployment of the safety car. This gave him the opportunity to latch on to the back on Lucas Auer as the race restarted. However, Auer was quick to once again pull away as the race resumed leaving Jones to sit unchallenged in second place.

By the end of the 14^th lap the UAE based driver came under a little bit of pressure from Esteban Ocon in the Prema Powerteam car but remained where he was. After a mistake-free, calm and focused race Jones came home to take the chequered flag in second. This fantastic result meant that he has now graced the podium in his debut season in the championship.

Reflecting on his result Jones said, ‘It’s been a very strong weekend for us so far here in Germany; we could tell yesterday that the pace was there after our good qualifying and once again the team made sure I had the car under me to race with.

‘It did get a little close with Esteban [Ocon] towards the end of the race but I didn’t feel threatened for the position. It’s a nice feeling to be on the podium and I’m hoping that now we can replicate and continue the success that we have had this weekend.’

Ed will be back on track for a second qualifying session on Saturday afternoon which will set the grid for two further races which will take place on Sunday.

Ed Jones graced the FIA Formula Three European Championship podium twice this weekend following some fantastic and assured driving to collect a second and a third position in Hockenheim, Germany. The Carlin driver, embarking on only his first season in the FIA Formula Three European Championship, had a lightening start during race one where he started from third on the grid to snatch second position. Driving well Jones held his nerve despite a safety car period and pressure from drivers behind to clinch his first podium finish in the series. Jones continued his fine driving on Sunday to secure his second podium position of the season.

After a strong qualifying session on Friday, 2013 European F3 Open Champion Jones lined up third on the grid ahead of the opening race of the weekend. As the lights extinguished Jones reacted in the fastest way possible and was able to pass Antonio Giovinazzi for second position – and a provisional step on the podium.

By the end of the 14^th lap the UAE based driver came under a little bit of pressure from Esteban Ocon in the Prema Powerteam car but remained where he was. After a mistake-free, calm and focused race Jones came home to take the chequered flag in second. This fantastic result meant that he has now graced the podium in his debut season in the championship.

Reflecting on his result Jones said, ‘It’s been a very strong weekend for us so far here in Germany; we could tell yesterday that the pace was there after our good qualifying and once again the team made sure I had the car under me to race with.’

Jones’ Fantastic weekend continued on Sunday as he collected his second piece of silverware from the weekend. Once again, getting a fantastic start and holding his nerve during a late safety car period he once again took a strong podium placed finish – coming home in third overall.

Jones said of his second race of the weekend, ‘What another great race! We knew we were fast and to get the second podium to prove it is such a good feeling for me. I’m very pleased for the team as well. We got a little close in the first corner however the restart went really well and it was quite a straightforward race for us. I’d like to work on the race pace with the aim being to challenge for wins as my next goal.’

Sadly Jones’ fantastic run in the points and on the podium was to come to an end during the third and final race when, while running in seventh position, he was penalised and handed a drive through penalty for running wide at turn one. However Jones still leaves the weekend with two pieces of silverware under his belt and a solid foundation as he prepares for the third round of the championship which will take place next weekend in Pau, France.