Jake Dennis continued his good start to the 2017 FIA European Formula 3 Championship on Saturday, adding a fifth place finish to his podium in race one at Silverstone.
The Carlin driver, drafted into the fourth car alongside Lando Norris, Jehan Daruvala and Ferdinand Habsburg for the race weekend at Silverstone, finished on the tail of Prema Powerteam’s Maximilian Günther after a close battle between the two throughout the nineteen-lap race.
“It could have gone better,” said Dennis of his race to The Checkered Flag. “I moved forward in the race, I started seventh and I finished fifth, which I guess is what the team wanted, but you always want more.
“I felt that I had the pace to give more but I was struggling a little bit behind Maxi, the tyres were really struggling, with cold graining, but it looked like that for everyone.
“I think Carlin were in the best condition for that, that’s why I was able to follow for so long, but in the end, its Silverstone and its a Formula 3 car, it’s always hard to overtake at, but we moved forward, which is the main thing.”
Despite finishing so close to Günther, Dennis admitted it continues to be tricky to pass around the Silverstone circuit in Formula 3 machinery, and the only opportunities he had were around the outside of Copse corner!
“I never really got close enough,” admitted Dennis. “There was only one or two times where I came alongside, and it was through Copse, and I tried to go around the outside.
“We both gave each other maximum respect and he gave me just enough room and vice versa. It was good to race against someone who is also experienced and it was a good battle.”
Dennis came into Saturdays race on the back of a podium finish that saw him climb from eighth on the grid to run second early on, finishing behind team-mate Norris and ahead of Saturday’s nemesis Günther.
“Obviously we finished second in the first race, which I’m happy about, it was a 1-2 for the team, which is great,” said Dennis. “They’ve put a lot of hard work in over the winter, and it was the least I could do for them,
“They’ve obviously brought me in for the test and the racing and it was nice to get a podium for them.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s final race of the weekend, Dennis is hopeful that the promised rain does return to give him a chance of a second podium of the weekend and potentially a victory.
“I’m starting eighth again, I need a bit of rain, and if it’s wet I’ll go for a podium for sure,” said Dennis.
