In the final three rounds of the 2011 Japanese Formula 3 Championship, Richard Bradley scored his second podium finish of the season and would have achieved more had he not made a mistake.
Held at the Sportsland Sugo Circuit in Japan, Richard was the only driver who had not raced at the narrow and technical track before. He still managed to learn the track quickly and qualified in 3rd and 4th in the two qualifying sessions.
In Race 1, he worked his way to 2nd in the first lap and remained there until the last four laps of the race when he made a small mistake. He put a wheel wrong onto the grass and that mistake caused him to drop back to 7th place, which was where he finished eventually.
In Race 2 which was a longer race, Richard again worked his way up to second and this time, stayed there to the end to take his second podium finish of the season.
The third race was not so lucky as Richard had to use a set of used tyres for the race, as his new set was damaged during qualifying. This affected the car’s handling and having started in 5th, Richard only managed to retain that position.
Under Team TOM’S Petronas, Richard has made massive progress this year with two podium finishes and many near-misses at the podium.
This weekend concludes the end of the Japanese F3 season and Richard is now testing for his next race in Macau!
