Photo: Dutch Photo Agency
ART Grand Prix’s Christian Mansell has explained the approach to his sophomore Formula 3 campaign that has taken him to be a title contender with two rounds remaining.
The Australian is currently 22 points off Prema’s championship leader Gabriele Mini. However, he is not focusing much on his position of fifth in the standings, despite there being just two events left, because it “just really clouds your judgement”. He would rather focus on maximising every weekend by doing the best he can every time he is on track.
“It would be the normal thing to think that there would be more pressure,” Mansell told media including Formula Scout about being a bit further back in points than the top four. “But from my point of view and from a probably a driver’s point of view, it’s honestly the opposite because we’re in the hunt. We’re not having to defend. When you’re hunting for it, it’s very, very different than trying to maintain the championship lead. It’s very easy to sort of get nervous or get a little bit, you know, out of sorts when you’re leading the championship and you’re trying to maintain that championship lead.
“To be honest, I’m not really too worried to tell you the truth. I have confidence in myself. That’s a given. But look, I’ve got confidence in the team. And if we are the fastest car this weekend, so be it. If we’re not the fastest car, I’m not too fussed. Every single time I’ve jumped into the car this year, I’ve done the absolute best of the capability of it. And at the end of the day, that’s all I can really do.
“My focus has never really been on the championship itself or even a position or anything,” he stated. “I don’t set a position every weekend. I just sort of do the best I can. And I think at that point you stop worrying. Because last year, whenever I was sort of close to the top 10 in the championship, I was always like ‘okay, next weekend I’ve got to do a big weekend’ and then I’d go and stuff it. But this year I’ve never not been outside the top 10, and now I’m back in the top five in the championship, and that’s not by mistake. That’s not by luck. I worked for it, but I don’t get, you know, say I don’t get nervous, but I don’t get sort of bent over the axle because I’m top five and I’m only 22 points off the lead.
“You’d be stupid to think that I wouldn’t think about that and think about the possibility of leaving this weekend in the top three of the championship. I wouldn’t be shooting if I didn’t think of that. But it’s not really my main focus if I’m honest.”
Mansell’s best results in 2024 are three feature race second places he achieved in Bahrain, Monaco and Spain. While he is yet to win, he did achieve a pole position at Barcelona.