Round 6 of the ATS Formula 3 Cup took place at the Lausitzring in Germany last weekend, and Sam was in action once again with Van Amersfoort Racing.
The weekend started well with a strong performance during free practice but come qualifying Sam endured a frustrating session, after the team struggled to find an ideal set up, and Sam endured a puncture. In the end, he had to settle for an overall fifth place starting position on the grid.
The weather intervened on Saturday when all track action was suspended because of low cloud and rain, and one of the weekend’s planned three races was cancelled altogether. The first race of the weekend finally got underway on Sunday in wet conditions behind the safety car. Sam didn’t get the start he wanted and initially dropped down the order. Undeterred Sam battled through to take sixth at the chequered flag crossing the line at the end of the 18-lap race in a points scoring position. Dry conditions for the second race saw the Castrol backed driver show determination and talent by avoiding a first corner incident. He moved up into third and maintained that until the end, securing a podium slot, and consolidating his second place in the rookie championship and fourth overall. Said Sam; “We encountered problems in qualifying and that made it very difficult to get the result we wanted from the weekend, so to come away with a podium was a better outcome than we could have hoped for. I’m still disappointed as it was a weekend with great potential. However, we have maintained our points position in the championship and can take the positives into the next round at Sachsenring.”
Sam is now in second place in the rookie standings on 252 points with two events to go.