Campos Racing’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak clinched his maiden F3 win after a composed drive during the Sprint Race at the F3 British GP. After an impressive start to his campaign in Melbourne, the Thai struggled to score points for three consecutive rounds. Inthraphuvasak has consistently shown strong race pace despite his struggles in Qualifying, often fighting his way through the field and narrowly missing out on points. However, everything came together this weekend as he crossed the line to win the Sprint Race.
During the Post-Sprint Race Press Conference, the Thai driver spoke to Pit Debrief and other media outlets, reflecting on his performance and briefly sharing his pride in representing the Thai flag.
“Really happy” after maiden F3 win
Fresh-off the podium, the Thai driver expressed how good it felt to finally secure a good result. Having acknowledged a tough-run of races to start their season, Inthraphuvasak always knew he had the pace to challenge and finish in the Top 5.
“Yeah, thank you very much. It feels super good. We’ve had a tough season so far, but my pace has always been there to be in top five.”
While he noted that his struggles have come from putting together a well-executed weekend, Qualifying hadn’t gone his way once again. Happy to have secured the race win, the Thai driver was pleased with what he managed to achieve today.
“It’s just about putting things together, and we’ve struggled with that so far. This weekend, again, qualifying a bit unlucky, with a problem and a mistake from my side, so I just put it in P12. So I started on pole today, and honestly I think I managed the race pretty well and came out with a win, so I’m really happy.”
Capitalised on Naël’s tyre struggles to reclaim lead
Inthraphuvasak beat DAMS Lucas Oil’s Christian Ho off the line and led the pack into Turn 1. However, Van Amserfoort Racing’s Theopile Naël made a strong impression after a brilliant launch off the line and challenged the Thai driver for the lead several laps after. Having lost the lead momentarily, Inthraphuvasak explained how he then decided to manage his race and stay within striking range. However, as Naël struggled as the race unfolded, the Thai driver described the moment he took advantage of to pull away from the rest.
“Yeah, I mean, we got a good start off the line, kept the lead, and then I saw that [Theopile Naël] was pushing really hard behind. So yeah, he got past me, and from that point on I tried to manage but stay in DRS with him so that he doesn’t pull away too much, and then I saw mid-race that he was struggling a lot with his rears, so I took advantage of that and pulled away in the end.”
Fuelled with confidence moving forward
After his win, Inthraphuvasak now sits P14 in the Drivers’ Standings with 33 points to his name. Describing how this win has encouraged and fuelled him with confidence, Inthraphuvasak hopes this momentum will continue into the closing stages of the season.
“Yeah, 100%. I think this win gives me a lot of confidence. Yeah, like I said, again, we’ve had the speed throughout the whole season, just not putting things together, but this definitely boosts my confidence, and then hopefully we keep the momentum up for the remainder of the season.”
Campos 1-3 finish gives solid points haul for Team Championship
Finishing on the top step of the podium today, Inthraphuvasak’s teammate Mari Boya finished closely behind in P3. After an impressive run of races for Boya and Nikola Tsolov, Campos appeared to be in strong form.
When asked by Pit Debrief about the weight of this result for the team, Inthraphuvasak praised the collective performance with all three drivers inside the Top 12 this weekend. However, the Thai was quick to admit there’s still room for improvement in his own Qualifying.
“Yeah, it’s a really good result for the team overall. I think P1 and P3 gives us strong points, and this weekend overall all drivers are in the Top 12 in qualifying, so I think it’s a good chance for us to all score points. For myself, I think there’s a bit to work on in qualifying.”
The Thai expressed his happiness with the team’s efforts and overall results. Acknowledging he is still yet to extract more performance in Qualifying, Inthraphuvasak credited the team’s strong race pace and competitive package, allowing them to consistently fight through the field.
“I think in the races we seem to do a very good job, but in qualifying I still need to maximise the potential a little bit more. But yeah, I’m really happy for the team, and I want to thank them for continuing to push and giving us a good car today.”
A good result was always in the books
The 19 year-old celebrated his first win, saying it was a result he had been working towards for some time. He acknowledged his tough season but expressed that this victory would hopefully boost his confidence to keep pushing for consistent top performances with the team.
“Thank you very much. Yeah, first win for me. I think it’s a result that’s been coming for a while.
“I think we’ve had a tough season so far, but the pace has been there to fight for top positions and podiums. Finally putting it together, so I’m really happy. I think this gives me a really big confidence boost overall to keep pushing for the rest of the season and find the extra little bits with the team to consistently be on top.”
Thai flag sees top step of the podium on a global stage
Climbing to the top step of the podium, Inthraphuvasak became the first driver to win in FIA Formula 3. Since Atlassian Williams Racing’s Alex Albon progressed through the single-seater ranks, no other Thai driver has reached the global stage. Recognising motorsport’s growth in Thailand, Inthraphuvasak proudly carried the Thai flag to the podium.
“It’s an honour to carry the Thai flag with me and put it on the top step of the podium today. Yeah, it’s really good. I think the sport is growing a lot in Thailand.”
Since news emerged about the possibilities of a Formula 1 race in Thailand, the Thai welcomed the idea and noted how it could further increase the sport’s popularity in the country. Hoping to follow in Albon’s footsteps one day, Inthraphuvasak hopes his day will come to fly the Thai flag in Formula 1.
“There’s news of Formula 1 hosting an event in Thailand soon. So yeah, it’s really good to see that the sport is becoming more and more famous in the country, as well as Alex [Albon], who’s done it here. Yeah, just trying to do my best job and hopefully one day I can be in Formula 1 in Thailand.”
Proud to carry the flag for aspiring Thai drivers and fans
Inthraphuvasak reflected on his early days karting in Thailand, where motorsport was relatively small, and expressed pride in seeing the growing fan community back home. He added that it’s an honour to represent the Thai flag and hopes the country can soon host its own Formula 1 race.
“Obviously, karting back at home in Thailand where the sport was quite small. But yeah, as I said, it’s growing a lot. It’s good to see a community of motorsports fans building up in Thailand.
“Hopefully soon they can get that event running and hopefully they make it possible. But yeah, it’s an honour to carry the Thai flag with me.”
Finding inspiration from F1 drivers
Pit Debrief asked the Top 3 about if they sought inspiration from F1 drivers races, the Thai explained that alongside Formula 1 and 2 offers a valuable opportunity to learn by watching and analysing. Praising the atmosphere track-side, he highlighted the energy from the fans.
“Yeah, for sure. I think it’s a really good opportunity for us to be a support race for F1. Also, Formula 2 is here racing, so it’s a good opportunity for us to watch their races and analyse what they’re doing as well.
“Also, the atmosphere here at the track is really good with all the fans here.”
“Feels really good” to get strong result on a familiar turf
The Thai driver shared that having raced in British F4 and lived in England for several years, Silverstone felt like a second home race to him. With familiarity both on and off the track, he expressed how comfortable he felt competing at the iconic circuit.
“Yeah, the first championship I basically did was British F4. So, I raced around the British tracks and I am quite familiar with Silverstone. And I also lived in England for around five or six years now.
“So, I am familiar with the place. I live in London around two hours from here. So, basically it feels like a second home race for me.”
Having secured the win, Inthraphuvasak revealed it was extra rewarding with friends and family trackside to witness his maiden win.
“I am living really close by. It feels really good to have a good result here with also some friends and family coming over.”
For the Feature Race, Inthraphuvasak will line up on the sixth row in P12. As the season reaches its closing stages, the Thai would hope to charge through the field to score more valuable points.
