Confident Wells Looking For Podiums
Dan Wells is confident he can get onto the Formula Renault UK podium at Brands Hatch this weekend after a strong showing at Rockingham.
The Wiltshire youngster celebrated a career best qualifying at the Northamptonshire circuit, and followed it up with a career best finish of fourth.
Wells struggled on Friday due to tyre allocation issues, but when qualifying started on Saturday morning the 20-year-old came into his own, putting his Atech Reid GP car on the second row of the grid.
“The car was mint!” He enthused. “On the new tyres we had a really good run. My best lap was set on lap two but my best should have been on lap three.
“We were a tenth up in the first sector but then I caught (Alex) Walker on my quick lap. If it wasn’t for that I think we would have been on for pole, but I was still happy with the pace we showed throughout qualifying.
“The team had done a fantastic job and it was a great session.”
Qualifying two was not quite the success of one, but the merest of gaps separated him from another front of the grid slot.
“We were quick, quickest in sector two,” he explained, “but I didn’t put a lap together. It’s tricky with it being so close, what should have been fourth or fifth ended up tenth.”
From fourth in race one; Wells never looked in danger of losing his position. Despite a chance to take team-mate Tio Eillinas on the first lap, Wells looked comfortable and had a relatively untroubled race.
“Overnight I knew I could get a podium or win the race, but it all depended on the first corner. I had the best start out of the top four and a really good run behind Rowland and Tio.
“I wasnt able to challenge onto turn 1 but I got a good cut back on the right and sent it on the inside of three, but I didn’t really want to thank the team by taking us both out. It was nip and tuck, it was close and we were in fourth place so it’s ok. The pace was good but I wasn’t able to find a way past Tio given that it was literally thousandths separating us.”
A tenth place for race two left Dan with it all to do, but a set up gamble failed to pay dividends.
“I just had trouble with the car really. I made some changes to the set up before the race but it didn’t pay off for us unfortunately.
“It was a really good start again and I had a good run behind Hill and King, but Hill went up the back of King which means I had to back out of it which allowed Powell and Walker straight past me which was unfortunate. I got one of them back into three and another into four and got those places back, but because I went too deep in it compromised my exit speed up the hill and they managed to get me into turn eight
“But it’s a positive outcome from the weekend overall, but it was all done in qualifying. Im a little disappointed with the second race but not too downhearted.”
After his strong showing at Rockingham, Wells believes he can fight for podiums between now and the end of the season.
“For the end of the year, given the performance we’ve shown this weekend, I want podiums. I know what I’ve got to work on.
“Brands GP is where I debuted in the Formula Ford 1600 and I had class pole there. It’s a good track for me just like this one was, as is Silverstone National, and I think we’ll be rapid at the end of the year and we will get on the podium. I definitely want to be fighting for victory.”
Mike Trusler
