Sagrera wraps up another season in British F3 at Donington Park

The 2022 GB3 season came to an end at Donington Park. Javier Sagrera had to deal with several circumstances beyond the driver's control, which prevented him from finishing the year as he would have liked. The pace and potential of the 18-year-old driver were evident in the races where he showed persistence and consistency despite everything.

"We learned a lot during the last race weekend. We had good pace during the 'qualy,' but the conditions afterwards were challenging. We did our best in each heat, and in the final one, we had to make several comebacks, which gave us a lot of experience in different situations."

The Grand Prix kicked off on Thursday with the usual free practice sessions. The drivers have two days, including Friday, to prepare for the weekend in various short sessions where they can test and fine-tune the necessary adjustments. Sagrera and his team, Carlin Racing, made the most of the two days, but the weather conditions were changeable as usual in Great Britain, requiring constant adaptation.

"On Thursday and Friday, we did the usual training, and there were still some aspects to improve, but we knew we had room for improvement in the 'qualy.' We were confident that when we had everything in place, the sensations would be good."

"On Saturday in the 'qualy,' we finished seventh and sixth. Looking at the data, the pole position could have been ours if it weren't for losing 4 and a half tenths on the straight, and I ended up three-tenths behind the leader, so theoretically, I should have been one and a half tenths faster."

In the first race, the driver from Girona started seventh and maintained his position from start to finish, showing consistency and good pace on a circuit where overtaking is challenging.

"The first race was very monotonous because it's impossible to overtake on this track. When all the cars reach a certain pace, you get close to the car in front, and you're half a second behind, losing aerodynamic grip and going straight. Then you have to back off and close the gap again, and so on continuously, without being able to move forward. I finished seventh, in the same place where I started. All in all, it was good because it was a race of going around, keeping the position, and not making mistakes; basically, learning to control oneself."

"The second race was half wet, with different strategies; some drivers opted for dry tires, and others for wet... It was a wet track that was drying out. In our case, we didn't get the tire pressures right, and starting from the sixth position, on the second lap, I was fourth, but then I lost ground due to the tires. I was losing positions constantly until I finished in sixteenth place. I couldn't do anything because the wet tires behaved as if they were dry due to the tire pressures."

"The third and final race was like a movie. We started with a reverse grid, as always. I started from the twentieth position. This time it was dry, and we knew we had good pace in those conditions. I started well, recovered some places in the first laps until another driver hit me, and I went back. Then, I regained those positions again, but my teammate collided with another driver, and when he returned to the track, he pushed me off. I lost the positions I had gained and started the comeback again, ultimately finishing 11th. It was a complete learning experience, although without the collisions, we would have been much further ahead."

This is how the driver himself describes the last three races of the season, from which he expected a bit more, but he is satisfied with his ability to react and adapt to each situation. "I take away the learning experience and everything we have improved despite the circumstances. Experience can be gained from everything, and this will serve us well in the future."

A future that will be announced in the coming weeks, but his continuity in the world of single-seaters is assured, and he will continue to focus on the same goal he had on the first day he started.