Sharp, Taponen and Ho reflect on the trials and triumphs faced in F3

Written by Trisha Lynnette 

Recently DIVEBOMB had the opportunity of attending a press conference with Louis Sharp, Tuukka Taponen and Christian Ho, where the drivers brushed on the learning curves of the championship and Round 2 as a whole. 

Image Credit: FIA Formula 3 (Website)

Coming to round 2 at Sakhir, the drivers have to ensure a good weekend to push to the front of the championship. However the previous round proved how the race weekend truly relies on a good qualifying result.

“I think the biggest learning I’ve probably had from Melbourne is that especially in qualifying, like every lap counts in this championship. You made one mistake and it could really affect your weekend.” Sharp revisited his challenging qualifying session at Melbourne.

For the rookies, preparation is key, especially with new cars and a format that isn’t generally followed by the lower rungs of the Formula ladder. A lot of practice and effort is needed for a good weekend.

“You need to put a lot of effort before you come to a weekend because you don’t have so much time in the practice to get used to everything. So preparation is quite a key point for coming to the weekend and be on it straight away. You don’t have many laps to learn the track, learn the car so you must be as well prepared as possible.” Taponen highlighted how crucial the allotted practice time is, along with the practice itself.

The drivers have a lot to look after on the track, the main concern of the pack being tire degradation. The circuit is known to have constant temperature fluctuations which means higher tire degradation. Knowing how to manage tires comes with experience, and for many of the rookies this poses a challenge in the series. 

“Coming from British Racing, I’ve never really had to manage tires because the tire we run on can do the whole race with full pushing. So I think the tire management side of things comes in.” said Sharp touching upon the challenges he faces at Bahrain and in the series.

Image Credit: Bahrain Int. Circuit (X)

The feeder series paddock is adjacent to the F1 paddock, which means a bit of added pressure - especially for those who are adamant on making it to F1 in the next few years. While their main focus is on the atmosphere and operations within their own paddock, this still adds pressure for drivers to stay at the top of their game. The question is, how do these particular rookies feel about it?

“Of course there is a lot more pressure but for me, I always put the most stress on myself. So you know I think it's more about just going through the series, just trying to get it right. 

And what’s more important to me is that you’re doing your best, because I think this championship is not a lot of days, but you really have to put everything together and do well.” Ho highlighted when asked about the added pressure of the F1 paddock.

“I mean it’s quite cool, you know, we are at the same panel with F1 and to be honest, at least for me it doesn’t give too much extra pressure.

It might give you know, some boost that they are looking at you and if you perform well.” Taponen reflected on the role of pressure, noting that it serves as a motivating factor rather than a burden.

“I think to be honest no matter what form of racing you do, whether it be F4, F3, F1 there’s always some sort of pressure on you. I think for me, I put a lot of pressure on myself because I have competitors, I want to win.” Sharp acknowledged how it’s the pressure he imposes on himself that fuels his competitive edge

Each driver has a different perspective but most of them take the added pressure as something that can push them to ideally winning the championship.

Image Credit: FIA Formula 3 (x)

It is vital for all F3 drivers to have some sort of high level of driving and be confident that they can push and reach the top. However drivers tend to lose the chance of a good result in the execution of a race weekend. Whether it be a bad qualifying, a collision mid race or even just braking a few seconds late, it truly is the execution that counts on track. 

“For me, it’s just all about execution, with how little laps you get, with how chaotic, for example a qualifying session could be in F3, the important thing is to maximize every single lap you’ve got because it could be the only lap you get.” said Sharp when asked about what he is focusing on improving this race weekend. 

“For me, it’s that you are really on it straight away. When you leave the pit lane you know exactly what you are doing. I think most of the teams won’t have many push laps because we don’t have the tires. 

So I think that’s the main thing for me, to be on it from the pit lane exit.” Taponen brushes upon how once you are on the track you need to have sheer clarity.

“For me, it’s trying to make sure the lap that I do is on point and with no mistakes. This championship is based on qualifying moves and making the one good lap basically defines the risk for your weekend. 

And for me, I think I’ve struggled a lot in putting the lap together with this car especially and especially during testing as well.” Ho said, highlighting his target of fixing and being on point in every sector of the race.

Image Credit: FIA Formula 3 (Website)

As for the new F3 car, the rookies have found that the new generation car has its own perks but at the same time is pretty similar to the old setup.

“It felt a bit better in the high speed and in the lower speed it felt a bit worse. But in general the car feels quite similar to the old car, just a bit better in the high speed and in the low speed we struggle a bit.” Ho reviewed the new car, comparing it to the previous series that he had driven in.

“To be honest for a driver there was no big difference. I felt that these tires are a bit more sensitive for sliding. So if you slide once you actually struggle a bit the rest of the lap so you need to be quite smooth on driving. 

And with the old car you could maybe push a little bit more without it penalising you after words.” Taponen mentioned, highlighting how it mainly is the setting up of the car that has changed and not the feel itself. 

“There’s definitely, on my end, a few differences for me. My driving style and how I approach the lap for example in this car is slightly different. 

It’s a little bit better how the tire behaves over a race run, how it goes off and how it degrades. I’m enjoying the car.” Sharp evaluated the new car, mentioning the minute differences he experienced.

Today’s qualifying takes place at 16:00 P.M. local time in Bahrain. 

Make sure to catch qualifying live and if you can’t, don’t worry! Head back over to DIVEBOMB for all the action you might’ve missed.