Chris Dittmann Racing heads to the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit this weekend (26-27 June) for the second event of this year’s BRDC British F3 Championship.
The Tewkesbury-based team travels to the home of the British Grand Prix in determined mood after a strong start to the season at Brands Hatch last month.
With Ayrton Simmons, the team enjoyed a perfect opening day of the new campaign with a double pole position, lap record and a victory in the first race of the year, while Max Marzorati also banked important points throughout the weekend.
While the next two races didn’t quite go as planned, the Silverstone weekend allows the chance to regroup, and at a venue where the team has enjoyed success before; Simmons is the only driver on the grid to have won a British F3 race at the 3.6 mile circuit, victorious twice there with the team in 2019.
The 20-year-old driver lies sixth in the championship standings at the moment, but well within reach of the top of the pile, though he will have to contend with a five place grid penalty for the opening race of the weekend after an incident in race two at Brands Hatch.
Teammate Marzorati banked strong points in Kent and looked set for a big score and potentially a maiden podium in the final race before an unfortunate clutch issue. He’s shown big progress since switching to CDR at the tail end of last season, and was a consistent scorer at Silverstone in 2020.
Team Principal Chris Dittmann is eyeing another haul of silverware this weekend: “The five week gap between the opening round at Brands Hatch and this weekend at Silverstone has given us plenty of time to analyse the events at Brands, and we’re massively encouraged by the pace Ayrton and Max demonstrated. When it all comes together, like it did on the Saturday at Brands Hatch, we will score big points and we’re very confident that will be the case for both drivers this weekend. Obviously we have previous history with wins at Silverstone, so we have full intentions of replicating that again.”
Ayrton Simmons said: “I’m really looking forward to the weekend. Obviously we’ve had a few weeks off now so it’s good to be building up to a race weekend again. I think we have a really strong car around Silverstone, having raced there previously we’ve managed to win two races which is very good. We’ve got two long days of testing to enable us to get the maximum out of the car in every session, and the maximum out of myself as well.
“There’s no doubt that we should be up there, we’ve got a grid penalty for race one but as it’s Silverstone it’s lenient for overtaking compared to other places. We will see how the weekend starts and where the momentum takes us but I’m buzzing, the team is buzzing, I’m very excited and I can’t wait.
Max Marzorati said: “I am really excited to be going to Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, especially after our disappointment with the opening round of Brands Hatch. Silverstone has a special place in my heart as I was taken to my first Grand Prix courtesy of one of the very original BRDC members, Mr Mike Anthony, who thrilled me with many memories and stories of racing through the ages, my favourite being how he span on Fangio’s oil. He also introduced me to Sir Stirling Moss, Emerson Fittipaldi and Nigel Mansell, who gave me a lift in a golf buggy. The experience of meeting so many of my heroes and legends of the sport through Mike’s introduction was like living in a dream. I also vividly remember Jenson Button blasting past me at Brooklands in his McLaren, my first sight of a Formula one car being driven in anger. So if I can deliver a result at Silverstone on the Grand Prix layout it would be for Mike.
“CDR have always been strong at Silverstone and our pre season testing fills us with optimism for a good result.”
The weekend starts with testing on both Thursday and Friday. Qualifying on Saturday starts at 11.10 before the first race at 15.25. The two Sunday contests will start at 10.10 and 16.15 and will be broadcast live online.
