The 2023 FIA Formula 3 season heads to its penultimate round this weekend in Spa. Hugh Barter started his debut season with Campos this year after finishing as runner-up in Spanish F4.
InsideF2 caught up with Barter to look ahead to Round 9 of the championship and gauge his expectations.
Q: You raced at Spa a lot last year. How much of an advantage can that give you this weekend? Although there could be some rain around.
A: “I think racing here a lot last year gives me more idea of what to expect coming into the round. I don’t think it’s a matter of giving me an advantage over the rest.
“A lot of other people have raced here previously. It’s become one of the tracks that a lot of drivers have experienced. Over the rest of the field I wouldn’t say it’s too much [of an advantage].”
Q: It’s such a long lap at Spa will that make it more difficult to put the lap together in Qualifying? And are you expecting the tyres to give up quite quickly?
A: “I don’t think it’s going to be too hard. Yes, the lap is a lot longer but a lot of it is straights. At the end of the day, it’s just a matter of concentrating between the corners so you don’t lose focus.”
Q: How do you make up the lap time at Spa? Is it all about trimming the downforce off?
A: “There are two ways you can go with it. You can really, really try to trim all the downforce off, or you can lose time on the straights and make it up through the corners. It really depends on how the team sets the car up and which direction we go in.”
Q: With two rounds to go do you feel you’ve achieved everything you wanted so far this season?
A: “I feel like there’s a lot of unlucky things that have happened during the season. I feel like I’ve learned a lot of things this season. There’s still two rounds to go and even though it is just two rounds, there’s still a lot to achieve, but yeah, I think it’s better to answer this question when the season is over.”
