Roman Bilinski’s F3 weekend at the 2025 British GP did not go entirely to plan, but the British-Polish driver and his Rodin Motorsport team did well to salvage points despite the chaotic conditions on Sunday. Starting from 16th on the grid, Bilinski surged through the pack, finishing an impressive fourth by the chequered flag. His correct tyre choice in the face of unpredictable weather played a crucial role in his performance.
Strategic call for wet tyres
The unpredictable weather at Silverstone posed a challenge for the teams, with rain forecasted to fall at various points throughout the weekend. As the rain intensified ahead of the Feature Race, Bilinski made the crucial decision to start on Wet tyres, which paid off handsomely.
Reflecting on the decision, Bilinski said: “It was a crazy race. There was a little bit of rain forecast, probably not the amount that we ended up getting, but we had a good strategy with starting on the Wet tyre.”
He added that the key to success was managing the tyres effectively during the race: “I got as much temperature in as I could and just filled all the spaces that were available on the first lap, made up some positions and managed it well from there. I picked people off one by one, and it ended up as a good result.”
Confidence in the wet tyres decision
Bilinski’s confidence in his decision to start on Wet tyres was evident even before the race began. The conditions were uncertain, with parts of the track still dry, but Bilinski believed that worsening weather conditions would not allow for a dry line to emerge.
He explained: “I was very convinced by the decision that it would be Wets. Last year was a bit chaotic with Wets versus slicks, and with how the conditions were still very overcast, I didn’t see it drying up and it was a good decision in the end.”
Bilinski recognised the challenges presented by the ever-changing conditions and how crucial it was to maintain focus on the ever-decreasing grip levels.
“It’s really tricky because the first few laps, you’re still building up the grip, so it’s quite nice when you can find that little bit more. Suddenly, the rain is coming down heavier, each corner there’s a bit less grip and you don’t know what is too much or too little.”
He concluded: “So, it’s difficult. I’m sure all us drivers have done lots of wet weather races, so we learn a lot about what we need to do.”
A weekend of what-ifs
Though Bilinski was happy to secure a strong result in the Silverstone F3 Round Feature Race, he could not help but reflect on what might have been had his Qualifying performance been stronger during the 2025 British GP weekend. A small issue in sector two on Friday meant that Bilinski started outside the top 12 in both races, a position that made it difficult to maximise his potential.
“I think overall it was a good result. It’s a bit of a shame that in Qualifying we had a couple of issues, which meant we couldn’t maximise what could have been. But this stuff happens in motorsport.”
Bilinski elaborated on his Qualifying performance, mentioning that while he had purple sectors in sector one and sector three, sector two was a weak point:
“I’m a bit disappointed. Purple sector one and sector three was pretty much purple too, but sector two I was a second down. So, it’s a weekend of what ifs. There’s fantastic potential there, but these things happen and to recover to where we did and get those points is the most important thing.”
Looking ahead as the championship fight continues
Despite his disappointment with Qualifying, Bilinski is optimistic about the future. He is focused on consistently scoring points throughout the remainder of the 2025 campaign. He believes that this is crucial for both his and the team’s development.
“Hopefully we can keep up these points scoring results. That’s the main thing at the end of the day. I’ll be doing the best job I can, and we’ll see where we end up.”
As Bilinski moves forward in the season, he remains confident that his experience and the team’s strategy will continue to allow him to build on his performance. The Silverstone round may not have been perfect, but it offered valuable lessons, and Bilinski’s resilience showed through as he secured a strong points finish.
