After a disappointing Melbourne Round, DAMS Lucas Oil’s Christian Ho is ready to take on the upcoming Sakhir F3 Round at the Bahrain GP. The Singaporean driver failed to score points in the Sprint Race, after finishing P15, and retired from the Feature Race on Lap 12.
A challenging beginning
The young driver from Singapore broke down how his Formula 3 debut , recalling how he had trained ahead of the first seasonal round in Melbourne:
“For preparation, it was quite similar to every week that I’ve done in Formula cars. I’m going to the sim beforehand or a week before the race and then we had a pre-season as well, going to the sim quite often. It was quite similar the week before, going to the sim and always training in the elevator.”
“Melbourne was like a new track for me so we had to do a lot more sims to just keep up with and try to keep up with the people who’ve done second week.”
Lack of testing time
The reigning Eurocup 3 champion also highlighted the aspect which has made adapting to his new Van Amersfoort challenger much more difficult.
A driver who has recently moved up from karting, in 2022, Ho brought up the lack of testing time as the reason for not being immediately up to speed compared to the rest of the F3 grid.
“Probably the amount of time you get in this championship is less than what I’ve had in F4 and in Eurocup a year ago. So yeah, it’s much more challenging, especially considering that we’re going through these tracks that I haven’t been to. That’s been the biggest learning I’ve taken away.”
Public pressure
Formula 3 is a great step for every young driver. Not only because of the more competitive cars and faster engines, but also because it greatly broadens your public and fan base.
Acting as a supporting series for Formula 1, F3 provides a huge platform to young drivers, with all the positive and negative consequences such a move can have. While winning can guarantee much better odds in moving up to the next step on the Formula racing ladder, every small rookie mistake can have a great cost.
Ho commented on this matter as well ahead of the F3 Bahrain GP, concluding that, at the end of the day, it is important to just do one’s best.
“In terms of more eyes looking at me, I’d probably say that to me. Obviously, we’re racing in F3 now, so of course, there’s a lot more pressure, but for me, I always put the most stress on myself. So, it’s just going through the motions, just trying to get it right. What’s important to me is that you’re doing your best, because this championship is not a lot of days, but you really have to put everything together and do well.”
“ As always, you’re doing the best of your potential, I’m sure. More eyes are looking at you and me and you, and eventually opportunities will come.”
Quali speed and where to find it
The lack of track time can significantly affect an entire weekend of performance, and that is something Ho is still coming to terms with. His first race in Australia was a great example of this. Starting from 23rd on the grid, he managed to make his way up to P15 in the sprint race, but crashed out at the end of turn 6 under the pouring rain during the full-length event.
“Probably the amount of track time I’ve gotten and how many opportunities you have in a session to make the lap happen. Compared to the previous years of our race, we only have had three days before the first race, and I was using the Hankook tyres last year, where in qualifying, I could make like 10 laps and all 10 laps could be quite similar. Well, in this championship, you only have one lap to make the best lap that you can, and it really affects your entire weekend, so as we’ve seen in Melbourne.”
A mixed testing session
Ho also recalled how the Bahrain testing went for him and Van Amersfoort, with lots of race laps and information amassed ahead of the main event.
“The race runs were really important in Bahrain just because we’re a new team as well so we didn’t have data from our previous years.”
“It was really important to get some race runs in. I had a bit of an issue on the third day with my car, so I didn’t drive the first part of the afternoon, which is why I didn’t do one race compared to my teammates. Compared to last year, where, like I said, I was in every lap in the race just pushing, this year we have a lot more things to think about in the car, like how we manage the tyres throughout the race, when to push and how much we can strain the tyre.”
“It was really important to have these three days in Bahrain just to understand everything and to prepare for the rest of the season,” Ho concluded, feeling positive ahead of the second seasonal round in F3 Bahrain GP.
