Chris Dittmann Racing travelled to the Hungaroring in Hungary at the weekend (June 21-23) but had to battle through the races after tight margins in qualifying left lots for the drivers to do.

Adding GB3 Championship returnee Javier Sagrera to its full season line-up of Seb Murray and Flynn Jackes, all three had practice sessions across Thursday and Friday to familiarise themselves with the circuit ahead of qualifying on Saturday morning.

The morning running was delayed due to storms and rain moving through the region overnight, and when the cars finally were released, it was another closely fought session where tenths of a second had a big impact. With laps being removed for track limits, costing Seb his best times, the drivers would end up finding themselves further down the grid than they had hoped.

All three had a clean start to race one on Saturday afternoon, with Seb running 16th, Javier 17th, and Flynn slipping back to 19th. With the field closely matched on times, there was little further action to the flag, Seb finishing 17th, Javier 18th, and Flynn 21st after running wide with two laps to go.

At the start of race two all three drivers were in battles as drivers fought for track position, Flynn moving into 13th before taking contact at the chicane, which launched him over the kerbs. That dropped him to 15th, which promoted Javier up a spot ahead of his teammate, while Seb also moved forwards, up to 18th on lap three.

Race three started in a tough manner unfortunately, with Seb and Javier coming together as the latter had to avoid a car coming back on track. Sadly, that left both cars with suspension damage, Seb having to retire, while Javier made it to the pits for a new front wing, losing a lap in the process. Flynn, who was just behind, managed to avoid also being collected but lost time, then being stuck in a train of cars and unable to gain places. Javier, returning to the track, then put in lap times comparable with the frontrunners, despite damage, showing his progression through the weekend.

After a difficult time in Hungary, the team will look to bounce back at Zandvoort next up, where both the GB3 Championship and F4 British Championship will be in action at the home of the Dutch Grand Prix.

Seb Murray #91

G1 – 16, R1 – 17
G2 – 20, R2 – 15
G3 – 17, R3 – DNF

Championship: 18 (53 points)

“Unfortunately, in qualifying I had a couple of my best laps taken away which put me down the grid. It’s hard to overtake in Hungary as there’s a lot of dirty air and not a lot of places to overtake, so it becomes a bit of a procession, though in races one and two we managed to make up some places. The calendar this year is really good with the European races, so it’s nice to race at circuits like the Hungaroring.”

Flynn Jackes #55

G1 – 14, R1 – 21
G2 – 17, R2 – 17
G3 – 16, R3 – 15

Championship: 20 (43 points)

“Race one I didn’t have the best of launches, but once we got going the pace was looking good. I just got caught out in one of the braking zones, ran wide, and that spoiled my race. In race two the contact was a bit unfortunate, and it ruined things for me. The start to race three was hectic, and I need to work on it, but out of turn one I saw Seb and Javier colliding ahead of me, so I slammed on the brakes and that sent me back. The car was good, and the pace was there, but I was stuck in a train. The heat this weekend hasn’t been too bad as it reminds me of growing up in the Philippines, as its nice and humid, so it’s fun with all the sweat dripping in your helmet! I have been enjoying the Hungaroring and it’s a fun track. Being at places like this is the dream.”

Javier Sagrera #5

G1 – 15, R1 – 18
G2 – 15, R2 – 14
G3 – 15, R3 – 19

“It was one of the toughest weekends I have had, to be honest. I drove in GB3 a few years ago so it took me a few laps to get back up to speed, but over the whole weekend things haven’t quite added up for one reason or another, so I wasn’t able to put it together. It wasn’t a big jump from Eurocup 3 to GB3, but all cars are different and even every team is different. I kept working with the team to improve things and make me feel more comfortable in the car with my driving style.”