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Australian youngster Christian Mansell has reflected on his debut weekend in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.
Mansell joined Charouz Racing System last weekend at the Hungaroring where the competition supported the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix.
It’s the first of two planned outings this season, with the next at Spa-Francorchamps at the end of August.
Mixed conditions in Hungary complicated matters for Mansell, qualifying 24th, remaining there in the opening race before moving up one spot in Sunday’s encounter.
It was a useful weekend of learning for the 17-year-old, who headed into the event without the weight of expectations.
“A huge thank you to the Charouz Racing System team for their support and the opportunity to join the Formula 3 grid for these two weekends,” Mansell said.
“We came here obviously without the luxury of experience which regular drivers have had all season, so to be still not far off the ultimate pace was encouraging for us.
“I was happy with our pace in qualifying, but the red flag was timed poorly for us and that was disappointing.
“In the races, the conditions were very tricky to contend with, but overall I was happy with how we did across both days.
“In the full wet the car wasn’t on my side, and didn’t really come to me.
“But we still managed to move forward so in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t too bad at all as we climbed the field during Sunday’s race.
“I’m just trying to learn as much as possible with every lap.
“I’m now really looking forward to Spa, and we have that extra weekend of experience to use on our side.”
Aside from his Formula 3 cameos, Mansell is this season competing in the Euroformula Open series, sitting second in the standings with two wins and four other podiums to his name.
It’s expected his foray into the Formula 1 feeder system is a prelude to a full-time graduation in 2023.
Mansell’s next F3 outing comes in support of the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix on August 26-28.
From there, he’ll venture to Imola where Euroformula Open is set to compete on September 3-4.
