British driver Tom Blomqvist is hoping the 2014 FIA European Formula 3 Championship provides the springboard for a long and successful career. The talented twenty-year-old has joined the Jagonya Ayam brand of the Carlin team in the series after spending 2013 driving for EuroInternational where he finished seventh in the standings with a best finish of third place in Monza and Hockenheim.
“2014 is a bit of a ‘make or break’ year for me,” admitted Blomqvist to The Checkered Flag. “I have the tools available to me to make an impression, which is what I have set out to do.
“I have to be extremely grateful for the opportunity Jagonya Ayam has given me. They have put a lot of faith in me & I’m extremely appreciative of that. But its a great feeling knowing that I have a great team behind me 100% capable of winning almost every time.”
The first weekend of the season was at Silverstone, and Blomqvist made the best possible start, taking pole position for the first race and converting that into a win. He followed that up with a fourth and a sixth in the other two races to sit third in the championship behind rookie drivers Esteban Ocon and Antonio Fuoco, both of which are guided by F1 teams in the form of Lotus and Ferrari respectively.
“I was ecstatic when I got pole for the first race, it’s been a while since I’ve had pole position and then to convert the pole in to a race win the following day was a special moment,” said Blomqvist, who raced under a Swedish racing licence until switching to a British one in 2010. “I’ve had a tough couple of years so it was almost a relief to finally get a win again. That win meant a lot.
“There are definitely some very good rookies on the grid, and good rookies in quick cars that make it all the more difficult. Of course I’m going to have to be on it every single race weekend because consistency is going to count this year. We will see how it pans out over the opening rounds, but I think we will start to see a trend very soon.
”My main ambition is to bring home the championship and win as many races as possible over the season. I would like to do it for myself and for people who have kept the faith. Its definitely possible but will require a lot of hard work from everyone.”
Blomqvist feels he’s developed well as a driver so far but is always learning, and knows after Silverstone what he needs to work on to help him sustain a strong 2014 season with Jagonya Ayam by Carlin.
“You learn from your mistakes and I think you become a better person when you deal with tougher circumstances,” said Blomqvist. “I wasn’t always at the front the past couple of years, but I most definitely learnt a lot. I learnt how to fight through, defend and get the most out of what I had. But you have to always learn every time you sit in the car or else your not going to keep improving.
“I know the areas that I would like to work on as a driver and the team knows the areas they will have to work on, but I don’t think you will see me giving away any secrets…“
