Formula 3 makes its Pau comeback

08.05.14
F3 makes its Pau comeback this weekend. With Frenchman Esteban Ocon (Prema Powerteam) leading the FIA F3 European Championship, the Pau Grand Prix looks like it’s going be a major event, and it will be attended by Jean Todt, the FIA President.

The Pau Grand Prix is one of the classics of motor sport, in particular for single-seaters. Jim Clark, Jack Brabham, François Cevert, Jacques Lafitte, Jean Alesi, Juan-Pablo Montoya, Lewis Hamilton and Romain Grosjean are among the drivers who have won this legendary race. This year the event goes back to its roots as the FIA Formula 3 European Championship will top the bill for the 2014 Pau Grand Prix. Twenty-seven young drivers are determined to win on this very selective city layout and make a name for themselves in the streets of King Henry IV’s favorite town.

Esteban Ocon is particularly fired up to shine in his homeround. He is the only Frenchman entered for this year’s Formula 3 European Championship, and he arrives in the south west of France as leader. He is the only driver to have scored two victories, and the man from Normandy has built up a 36-point lead over Antonio Fuoco (Prema Powerteam) and Tom Blomqvist (Jagonya Ayam with Carlin). Like the majority of drivers it will be Ocon’s first outing in Pau. “So far the first and only time I’ve been on this circuit was when I came to Pau last January for a press conference. It was in a rented car and as I didn’t have a driving licence I didn’t even get behind the wheel! It’s a unique and very challenging layout. I’ve spent a lot of time on the simulator to prepare for this race. It’s obvious that there are many fine points to learn so free practice will be of crucial importance. I’m really delighted to be racing in France this weekend and I know that the Pau Grand Prix is an exceptional event. I’m the championship leader and as always every time I start a race my aim is victory. I’m fully aware that overtaking is very difficult in Pau so qualifying will probably be decisive. Above all I need points so my no. one objective will be to avoid the guardrails!” 

All the cards will be reshuffled for this event, which can be compared to the Monaco Grand Prix for F1 drivers. Here perhaps more than anywhere else the more experienced competitors will try to get the upper hand over the trio of rookies consisting of Ocon, Antonio Fuoco and Max Verstappen (Van Amersfoort Racing) who have taken the start of the championship by storm. Tom Blomqvist, Lucas Auer and Felix Rosenqvist (both kftzeile24 Mücke Motorsport drivers) will be among the men to watch.

Felix Rosenqvist, who has had a difficult start to the season, knows that he’s playing for high stakes this weekend, so the Swede is going to go for broke around the Pau Casino! “I've driven at Pau once before, in 2012, and it's a really impressive place. I'm a big fan of street circuits; there is no room for mistakes, but at the same time, you have got to almost touch the barriers - and that equation makes for very small margins when you travel at 200 km/h. The section around the park at the back of the circuit is seriously fast, and leads into the famous Foch corner where you need to carry as much speed as possible over the roundabout kerbs - the worse it feels, the quicker it is! Pau is all about precision, and very different from a traditional circuit like Hockenheim, so it's a completely new game this weekend. I've got a good feeling and am very much looking forward to it."

As usual there are three races on the programme. The first on Saturday at 11h15 will take place in the presence of Jean Todt, the FIA President, who has decided to come to Pau for the return of Formula 3 to this legendary circuit. On Sunday rendezvous for race 2 at 11h15 and for the final battle of the weekend at 15h15.