Jordan King savours superb finale - The Leamington Observer

Jordan King savours superb finale

Leamington Editorial 22nd Oct, 2014 Updated: 28th Oct, 2016   0

RACING star Jordan King has described finishing runner-up in the finale of the fiercely-contested 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship campaign at Hockenheim as one of the finest and most enjoyable races of the season.

The 20-year-old has been a consistent front-runner all year in European F3, but a variety of issues dented his hopes of challenging for the coveted crown.

In the first race an abortive overtaking attempt on the opening lap cost the gifted Warwickshire ace ground but he turned up the wick on new champion Esteban Ocon in the duel over sixth and made the position his own.

His second outing proved less successful after an early pit stop saw him slip to outside the top 20.




But the highly-rated Stoneleigh-based hotshot battled his way back through the order and was just two spots shy of the points-paying top ten when the red flags flew for an accident one lap from the end.

An impressively feisty and assertive opening lap in the third and final encounter saw King gain two places in successive manoeuvres.


From there, he pulled increasingly clear of the pursuing pack behind and set his sights on relieving countryman Tom Blomqvist of the runner-up laurels.

King spied his chance on the penultimate lap and seized it to steal away second position.

His seventh rostrum result of the campaign was thoroughly well-deserved for an excellent performance, and secured King P7 in the overall classification.

He will now prepare to take the next step up the motorsport ladder and admits the experience was a superb springboard towards 2015.

He said: “I felt confident going into the weekend that we would be in the mix up at the sharp end.” said King.

“Hockenheim is an interesting circuit to drive – fast and open through the first half of the lap, and tight-and-twisty in the Stadium section.

“I was determined to go out in style in race three, and I had a great opening lap.

“After that, I focussed on putting Tom under as much pressure as possible to try to force a mistake, which eventually came.

“Second position was a fantastic way to finish the season, particularly as we had to fight so hard and really earn it against some of the best young drivers in the world.

“I genuinely do believe European F3 this year has been the strongest single-seater category outside of F1 and, although we’ve had a tough season at times and things haven’t always gone our way, to sign off with one of our best races and show that we can be a force to be reckoned with is tremendously rewarding and a real source of encouragement ahead of the next step.”

Jordan King in action at Hockenheim. (s)

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