Q&A: Rob Austin.

Menu F3 Motorsport driver Rob Austin talks exclusively to Crash.net about rounds nine and ten at Silverstone two weeks ago, being joined by Adam Carroll at the team, his targets for Castle Combe and loads, loads more...

Q:
Rob, firstly how would you sum up your Silverstone weekend?

Rob Austin:
Well it was nothing special, I didn't do as good a job as I could have done in first qualifying, and I didn't get a good start in the second race so I was a bit disappointed with my performance really!

Q:
You were ninth quickest during the Silverstone test day, how important are these practice days in the build up to an event and what do you normally look to achieve?

RA:
The pre-race test days are very important for getting a good balance in the car and to get it as well suited to the track as you can, what position you end up in, isn't really important! Some guys treat test days like qualifying! Engines wound up, three or four sets of tyres and really going for it just to top the times, not only can we not afford to do that but we don't see the point! The other factor is putting the tyres on at the right time, as the changing weather will effect the lap times. So being ninth wasn't a problem, we knew the pace was there, we just put tyres on far too late and the session was stopped early!

Q:
You qualified ninth for race one and fourth for race two. Talk us through qualifying.

RA:
Well in the first one I just missed the best of the tyres, I should know better really! I was very angry with myself after that one! In the second I was so fired up after making such a hash of the first, I was really on it, fourth was respectable but I think we made a bit of a mistake going straight out on new tyres, most did a run on there old ones first and the track got faster towards the end of the session, after my tyres had gone! It was a bit frustrating as we were on pole until the last 5 minuets or so of the session!

Q:
In race one at Silverstone - round nine - you finished sixth. Can you tell us about your race and how well you feel you did?

RA:
It was all right, again nothing special. I got a reasonable start and got round the out side of Alan van der Merwe and Richard Antinucci at Copse, but lost the place back to Antinucci as he pushed me onto the grass on the run to Beckets and then nearly took my front wing with him as he turned in, from there on I was just stuck behind him for the whole race, we ran the more worn set of tyres so there wasn't much I could do.

Q:
In race two at Silverstone - round ten - on bank holiday Monday you finished on the podium. Tell us about this one.

RA:
My first really bad start of the year! I am one hundred per cent confident that if I had one of my usual starts and got somewhere near the front I could have won that race! But instead I spent most of my race stuck behind Jamie Green, I just couldn't find a way round him for ages, in the end, Adam [Carroll] who was having the same problem with Antinucci, made a mistake and ended up going off in front of us, which I think upset Green's rhythm because the next lap I managed to find a bit of a gap at Luffield so I went up the inside, he closed the door but I already had my foot in, he came out in front but I had a big run on him which I carried through Copse and went round the outside of him at Beckets which I thought was pretty cool! Unfortunately I ran out of laps to catch Antinucci. It was all down to the start really.

Q:
You have Adam Carroll as a team-mate now. How are you getting on? And what are the advantages and disadvantages of switching from a one-car based team to a two-car outfit?

RA:
We get on pretty well I think, we had a bit of an ''incident'' last year at Brands, so we are just not talking about that and trying to work together as well as we can! And it is a big advantage having him in the team, since I've been in F3 I've not had a team-mate that has been any use to me other that Stefan de Groot for a couple of races last year, other than that its just been me really. Now he's here I will get faster and faster, and so should he! It's amazing how different our driving styles are but there are places where he's faster than me and others where I'm faster than him, if we learn from each other how to do what the other is doing round the necessary corners and combine our laps then... ...well, just wait and see! It just raises our potential so much, its going to be brilliant for the team and from my point of view, he's supposed to be a bit of a 'Super Star' and, well I don't know what I'm supposed to be, but if I end up beating him then people are just going to have to eat humble pie! For me this is a great opportunity to prove anybody who's ever doubted me wrong!

Q:
There is a four-week gap now to the Castle Combe event - rounds 11 and 12. What are your plans for this period?

RA:
I don't like to plan more than a couple of days ahead - makes life more interesting - but I guess just work [I have a house to renovate] a bit of testing [two days at Pembrey, next Monday and Tuesday] and the standard fitness program! Nothing too exciting, oh I do have a very pretty young girl's 20th birthday party to go to next weekend!

Q:
What are your feelings about racing at Castle Combe?

RA:
I think it's about time I pulled out the stops, got my arse into gear and won some bloody races!