King’s European F3 podium provides another milestone

The Stoneleigh-based driver delivered a trio of strong results to line up fifth, ninth and fourth on the grid for the three races, respectively, and got a good start to move up to fourth in the opener.

A failed overtaking move forced him wide and relegated him to sixth but he soon regained the ground he had lost and reset his sights on the driver in third.

After biding his time, King made his move and, although it took four corners to make it stick, he eventually got the inside line to claim a coveted podium position, something he felt was long overdue.

“It was brilliant to step up on to the podium for the first time in European F3,” said King.

“We should have made it the previous month at Hockenheim if it hadn’t been for a bit of bad luck, but we’ve achieved it now and it feels like another tick in the box and the latest significant milestone in my F3 career.”

Following a lively first few laps, King settled into sixth position in the weekend’s second encounter only for yellow flags and an eventual red flag to bring the race to a premature conclusion.

And, after running fourth for much of race three, the MSA Academy member was denied a shot at a second rostrum by more yellow flags which enabled his team-mate behind to launch an opportunistic pass.

Thereafter, King artfully fended off the championship leader to the chequered flag to cap a superb weekend as a hat-trick of top-six finishes saw him leap up the championship table from 12th to equal-seventh - and leading F3 rookie to-boot.

“It was good to finally enjoy the kind of results that we’ve known we’ve been capable of from the start,” he concluded.