Hitech GP’s Cian Shields has enjoyed a surge in form in recent rounds, as he continues to make strides in his first season of single-seaters.
The British driver has graduated straight out of karting into GB3 this year, and quickly made an impression with his victory in the final race of the Silverstone round back in May.
Since then, big improvements in pace has meant the Scottish contender has become a more regular face towards the front of the field, including fourth place on the grid at Spa-Francorchamps.
“I’m happy with how the season has been going, especially the last two events as we have had the pace to be challenging for podiums, so I am most happy about that” he said.
Stepping from karts to GB3 is a big jump, and he acknowledges it was a considerable task at the start of the season, but the victory in just his sixth race was a big boost.
“For me I’d say the biggest challenge was getting used to the downforce of the car and how differently it handled to a kart.
“It [the Silverstone win] was obviously a massive confidence booster but my approach to each weekend has stayed the same, and that is to work hard with the team to keep progressing forward.
“For me to win a race so early into my car racing career was amazing and to do it at a circuit like Silverstone, it definitely made it that bit better.”
Shields has also been able to benefit from the experience of his teammates, including title challenger Luke Browning.
“I’ve been able to learn from Luke, to have a teammate with a good amount of experience has helped me progress further that bit quicker.”
With his recent upturn in pace, Shields is now aiming to end his year fighting for more top three results.
“I just want to keep building on the momentum that myself and the team have built over the past couple of events. I would like to finish off with a few more podiums and to be challenging for wins again.”