Races 1 and 2 of the 2021 FIA Formula 3 Championship would be held in fine and warm conditions on Saturday at Barcelona.
As a result of a mistake during his single flying lap on the 3rd set of tyres in Qualifying, Calan would start race 1 from P21.
With an excellent get away off the line he would make up a position into turn 1 which amongst the pack he would later conceede in the opening corners to remain in P21. His entire race was extremely solid and from here he would make good moves on cars ahead to gain 3 positions and finish in P18. Particularly in the warm weather, Barcelona is incredibly tough on tyre wear and there is generally only turn 1 at which passing moves can be made. The challenge with this is managing the temperature of the tyres around the rest of the lap which is particularly difficult when following a car in front as the aerodynamics of the front wing are compromised.
With the grid for Race 2 determined by the finishing position in Race 1, Calan would start this race from P18.
Calan got away to another flying start off the line and this time gain an amazing 4 places into and through turns 1 and 2. Two cars in front collided causing a safety car which left Calan in P12. He seemed to be narrowly ahead of Jak Crawford at this stage, however Crawford regained position whilst behind the safety car so Calan would restart from P13.
After a good restart, and more excellent racing, Calan would progress from here to finish the race in P11 and right on the tail of Corerra in P10 and just a single place out of the points.
"I'm really happy with how today went," said Calan at the completion of the day.
"We went from 21st to 18th in Race 1, and then another good fight from 18th to 11th in Race 2. Barcelona is one of the most difficult circuits to overtake on the calendar, so it shows our strong race pace."
"I'm looking forward to tomorrow's Race 3, where the grid is once again set by the results from qualifying. I'm confident in our pace and I believe we can pull off another strong fight through the pack.
All Photos by Dutch Photo Agency.
