Ed Jones has made a remarkable recovery from injury to take three fantastic race wins at Spa-Francorchamps. The UAE based racer has been unable to race in recent weeks following an injury he sustained at Pau however he was back in action this weekend taking part in the Cooper Tires British Formula Three Championship. Making an impression in the Invitation class early on, he clinched pole position on Friday morning and enjoyed three fantastic starts off the line to take three brilliant wins on his return over the course of Friday and Saturday.

Jones has been unable to race with Carlin in his regular FIA Formula Three European Championship recently after an injury which he sustained while racing at the historic Pau circuit. Having taken a break recently he made his return to racing this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps alongside his regular team mate Sean Gelael in the Invitation class.

On Thursday it was apparent that Jones was putting his injury well behind him as he was clearly the man to beat. Jones continued to take this strong showing with him through in to qualifying on Friday morning. It was a relatively easy affair for the Carlin driver who ensured he put his car on pole position when it mattered for two out of the three races of the weekend. The first race got underway in dry conditions with Jones launching perfectly off the line and holding the lead throughout the race. This lights to flag victory marked the first of what was to be a successful weekend for the Formula Three racer.

In the afternoon the top five positions were reversed for the second race giving Jones the opportunity to race from the mid-field. Starting in fifth he enjoyed another strong start in which he charged off the line and through the pack to quickly clinch the lead as his own. The weather played a small part for Jones, who along with the rest of the grid was running on slick tyres, when rain started to fall at the first corner. This added a new dimension to contend with – which he handled brilliantly to take his second win of the weekend.

Saturday morning provided the final race of the event for Jones and once again saw him line up on pole position. This race was to be more dramatic for him as he lost position early on to team mate Gelael; Jones made sure to keep on his tail in an effort to reclaim his position. Wheel to wheel action then ensued with the lead changing several times – in the end Jones was to come out on top and secure his third dominant race victory of the weekend.

Speaking of his weekend Jones said, ‘Yesterday was good for us to take pole position and win two races; the car felt great and they were good fun races. There was rain in the second race which gave us something else to deal with but that’s just typical Spa and you come to expect it here. But I made the most of it so that’s great.

‘Then on Saturday we had the final race – Sean [Gelael] did manage to take the position from me after Eau Rouge however I could get it back a few laps later. So I’m very pleased with what was a really perfect weekend for me. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me recover from my injury and now I can’t wait for the rest of the season.’

Ed Jones has taken a strong double points finish in his comeback weekend of the FIA Formula Three European Championship. Coming off the back of a dominant race weekend in the British Formula Three Championship, the UAE based racer was confident of being able to get back up to speed in his regular racing series. His pace failed to disappoint and it was clear that he wasn’t letting his time away from the series hamper his racing instinct. Over the course of the weekend Jones claimed three top ten starts and finished the second and third races of the weekend in a solid sixth position overall.

For Jones this weekend’s FIA Formula Three European Championship round at the Red Bull Ring marked his comeback to the championship having missed the previous three rounds due to an injury sustained during the Grand Prix de Pau. On Friday morning it was clear that the incident was well and truly behind him as he set the ninth fastest time in free practice as he got back up to speed in the championship.

Carrying this progress through to the first 20 minute qualifying session of the weekend Jones set the tenth quickest time in his Volkswagen powered Carlin Dallara car. Jones said of the day, ‘It was good to be back in the championship first and foremost. We were running on older tyres in the morning practice session but I was feeling confident in the car and although we caught quite a bit of traffic I felt pretty good. For qualifying, it was pretty reasonable for us. I had been running higher up the grid but lost a lap due to track limits so although we had the pace it didn’t really happen for us but it was so good to be back on it again.’

However Jones’ one bit of bad luck was to follow on Saturday morning when, while running within the top ten, his car became temporarily stuck in gear; he was however able to make it back to the pit lane where the team worked hard on fixing the problem. Despite losing valuable laps he was able to re-take to the track for some more running.

Thankfully for Jones he had another qualifying session in which to set his grid positions for the final two races of the weekend. Once again, he was on the pace from the very start of the session and as the flag fell to mark the conclusion of the 20 minutes of on track action he had set the tenth fastest time overall. ‘I think the track changed a lot,’ said Jones, ‘I tried to adapt to this but I struggled a little bit however with the conditions I think tenth was still a good result. Although it felt like we should be further up there we will of course fight during the two races tomorrow to work further up in to the points.’

Despite fears that Sunday would throw up some interesting weather conditions there were glorious blue skies as the first race of the weekend got underway. Fighting from tenth on the grid Jones ensured that he placed his car exactly where it needed to be in the opening laps. Enjoying a fantastic battle with Dennis Van de Laar Jones once again proved his pace and was soon running in seventh overall. In the dying laps Antonio Giovinazzi was handed a drive through penalty which meant that Jones claimed sixth position and a strong haul of points as his own.

Jones’ brilliant weekend would continue for the third and final race where, despite losing a couple of positions on the opening lap, the Carlin driver pressurised those ahead perfectly which saw him right behind team mate Jordan King by the mid-point of the race. Jones gave it a final push in the last laps and made his way past King and soon found himself further up the order as drive through penalties were applied. This strong result would see him take his second sixth place finish of the weekend in what has been a fantastic return to FIA Formula Three European Championship racing.

Speaking of the final two races Jones said, ‘The first race was really good for us because we were able to make so many places up however we were fast in certain places on track and others were quicker elsewhere so it was tough to overtake. But getting sixth was great and then to get sixth position in the second race was also a really strong result for me. I’m so happy with the progress we made over the weekend and now feel as though I have picked up in the Championship from where I left off before the injury. I’m now looking forward to the next round in Germany where I’ll be fighting to continue this progress.’

Ed Jones endured a mixed weekend at the Nurburgring in Germany, as the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship continued with the ninth event of the season.

Jones qualified second for the first race of the weekend and took points in both race one and two before withdrawing from the final race of the weekend due to a recurring back injury.

19 year-old Jones was on the pace from the start of the weekend, a strong practice session was backed up by a stunning qualifying performance, putting his Carlin run Dallara F312 second on the grid following Friday’s qualifying session, despite only just returning to the racing action from a back injury. Despite mixed and damp conditions, the majority of the field started race one on Saturday on slick tyres, as a dry line looked to be forming around the circuit. Nevertheless conditions remained tricky, with one driver spinning on the formation lap. Jones stayed on track, but starting on the wetter side of the track lost several positions to drop to sixth on the first lap and was 13th by lap seven. The Emirati man recovered to 10th place by the chequered flag with a determined fight back.

While Jones and his peers were ready and waiting for Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session to take place – setting the grid for races two and three – marshals were working hard to fix the Armco barrier damaged in an earlier Sirocco session. With a repair deemed not possible in the time remaining, the F3 qualifying session was postponed to Sunday despite the drivers ready and waiting in the pit lane. An early start on Sunday at least brought clear and sunny skies after Saturday’s wet running, and Jones and his rivals were soon on track for the 20 minute qualifying session. Jones was competitive in a close session, setting the ninth fastest time – the position he would take on the grid for race two. Only a few hours later, the 2014 FIA F3 field lined up for race two at the German circuit. Despite a dramatic looking sky the conditions remained dry, with Jones holding onto ninth on the first lap. Becoming increasingly uncomfortable in the cramped F3 cockpit with his still healing cracked vertebrae, Jones nevertheless held onto ninth, which became eighth after race leader Max Verstappen retired. Jones managed to take eighth at the flag despite being in pain, taking more solid points.

Following conversations with the team, Jones made the decision to sit out the final race of the day, thereby preventing any possible further damage to his back, which was injured in an accident at Pau earlier this year. Jones and his team will take a decision on the remainder of the season in due course.

Speaking about Jones’ withdrawal from race three, Team Principal Trevor Carlin said, “Ed found he was in some discomfort after the second race so made the decision to sit out the final race of the weekend to be on the safe side. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back in the car again soon.” Jones added, “It’s really disappointing that I wasn’t able to complete the weekend but I knew during race two that it wouldn’t be the right thing to do. The F3 cockpit is a very physically challenging environment and it’s hard enough to achieve your maximum potential normally, without the added distraction of pain and possible further injury. We had a good car this weekend so it’s disappointing we weren’t able to make the most of that. I’ll see how I feel in a week or so and take some medical advice. We have a really big gap now until the next race in October, so there’s plenty of time to rest and make a decision on the final two races of the season.”

Following a season of highs and lows Ed completed the 2014 F3 FIA Season on a very positive note.  Ed finished 13 out of 26 in the points despite participating in only part of the race schedule.

His form in the final two race meetings  demonstrated that his mind focus and fitness is ready for the year ahead and great results are expected.

Ed is in training for 2015 and will release his decision with regards to race championship shortly.