KEY POINTS:
Formula Three is a stepping-stone for some of the greats of motor sport.
Jackie Stewart, Mika Hakinnen, Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet are among those to win the top feeder series and use it as a leg-up into the rich Formula One.
Brendon Hartley, the latest in a
long line of Kiwi drivers to ply his trade in Europe, is contesting the F3 international championship with the Red Bull Development squad.
During a rollercoaster season Hartley has had almost as many wins as non-points scoring finishes.
Heading into the ninth round at Silverstone this weekend, Hartley may get his campaign back on track with more consistency.
"I'm excited about this weekend as it's sort of a home race for me as I live nearby," says Hartley.
"Obviously I'm under a lot of pressure as I'm only fourth in the standings.
"I've made ground, on the leaders, especially after the last race."
At the last round at Spa, Hartley had a come-from-behind victory and a second to close within eight points of the driver in third, teammate, Briton Oliver Turvey.
In the F3 Masters one-off race at Zolder, following Spa, Hartley again showed good pace and determination when fifth.
"I'm on a bit of a high so that does wonders for the confidence.
"Finishing ahead of my teammates definitely helps. Spa was a big one and I had a really good race and passed a lot of cars," says Hartley.
With the end of the series looming, the competition at the top of the table is tight.
The most consistent point's scorer, Spaniard Jamie Alguersuari, heads the table a point ahead of Mexican Sergio Perez, with Turvey third. With only 22 points separating fourth and first, Alguersuari and Perez will need to drive well as Hartley and Turvey are poised to strike.
Apart from Perez, the top four drivers are all part of the Carlin Motorsport team, which despite all its drivers being rookies, dominates the series.
The season has produced a mixed bag of winners and for Hartley to catch the leaders, he'll need to be more consistent.
He could make a move at Silverstone and stamp some authority on the title chase.
"I was really fast here at testing at the start of the year. And I'm feeling really confident.
"We don't get much testing at Silverstone [an hour], it's all a bit primitive so we have to do a lot of work with the engineer first," says Hartley.
"So it's all about getting the car as good as possible as quickly as possible."
