Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, 14^th June 2014 - Sean Gelael returns to action in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship with the Spa-Francorchamps round on 20^th-22^nd June.

This ultra-challenging track, which hosts the Belgian Grand Prix, is the longest on the F3 calendar. Seven kilometres long, it winds its way around the Ardennes hills, and is therefore also one of the most scenic.

Spa did not feature on the European championship schedule in 2013, but Indonesia’s young talent already knows it well. He finished a superb third in wet conditions in a British Formula 3 round last year in one of the most impressive performances of his rookie season. He also claimed fastest lap in one of the races.

While the Jagonya Ayam with Carlin team has been busy preparing his Dallara-Volkswagen for action, Sean has been relaxing from racing – by racing! While at home in Indonesia, he competed in a Lamborghini Super Trofeo event at Sentul, and led the race before brake problems struck when co-driver Ananda Mikola took the wheel. A very different beast from his F3 car!

So Gelael will be back in familiar territory at Spa, as he bids to build on his run of two successive events in which he has broken into the coveted points-finishing positions in the highly competitive FIA F3 European Championship. But far from being routine, Spa – like every other circuit – brings its own unique challenges.

The first and third of the three sectors of the lap are seriously fast, with flat-out sweeping bends and long straights. The middle sector is also quick, but the corners here are tricky. Set-up is crucial, and teams wrestle all weekend with the dilemma of reducing wing angles and downforce for the first and third sectors, at the risk of losing time in the middle portion of the lap. Or vice versa!

Tyre tactics are also critical. Sean and his rivals are each allowed three brand-new sets of Hankook slick tyres for a race weekend. Usually, they will use one set in each of the qualifying sessions, leaving one set spare for the three races. Drivers will most often select the two races for which they have the best grid position, and use two new tyres in each of those.

Spa’s high-speed corners ask a high price from the tyres, especially if a car is on low-downforce settings, meaning it is sliding around more. Generally, the Hankooks will operate at peak performance for only a couple of laps, but the long Spa circuit will make this window of opportunity even narrower, so it is crucial for Gelael and his rivals to get the perfect qualifying lap in at exactly the right point in the tyres’ life.

The other big challenge of Spa is the climate. It is very rare for a race weekend there not to feature rain at some point, and the drivers are also allowed a maximum of three sets of grooved Hankook wet-weather tyres. You can imagine the challenge for Sean and his engineer if he is sitting on the grid on a wet track, but can see the sun shining down in the distance and knows the circuit will dry – does he select slick tyres or wets?

It is all part of the learning experience Formula 3 is designed to be. And, after all, it is a challenge that must be mastered by the young guns on their way to Formula 1. (ms/arl)