David Takes Budapest Positives into Summer Break

Sri Lankan racing driver Yevan David will head into the FIA Formula 3 summer break with clear positives to build on after a determined drive from 16th to 11th in the Budapest Sprint Race showed further evidence of his growing racecraft during his rookie season.

Competing with AIX Racing at the Hungaroring, David narrowly missed out on points in Saturday’s Sprint Race after making strong progress through the field on a circuit where overtaking is traditionally difficult. Although the weekend ultimately ended in frustration following a Feature Race incident, the 19-year-old believes Budapest showed the potential for a stronger result.

“I would say we had the potential to have a stronger weekend,” said David.

“Obviously we had a good result with P11 in the Sprint Race, but I think we definitely could have been in the top 10 this weekend and scoring points, especially in the Feature Race as well.”

David’s Sprint Race was the clearest positive from the weekend. Starting 16th after a closely fought qualifying session, he made up five places to finish just outside the points, underlining the progress he has made in race conditions since the start of the season.

That recovery was particularly significant at the Hungaroring, where track position is often decisive and passing opportunities are limited.

“There were definitely positives,” he said.

“The Sprint Race showed that we could move forward and fight around the points. At a track like Budapest, starting 16th and finishing 11th is something to take encouragement from, even if of course I wanted more.”

Qualifying proved central to the shape of the weekend. David ended the session 16th, but in one of the closest fields of the season, a few tenths would have put him in the reverse-grid positions and opened the door to a very different Saturday.

“Qualifying was quite interesting,” he explained.

“It was very hot at that time of day and we had three push laps to put it all together. I think we did well in the first half of qualifying and were up there, but in the second half we could have done better, especially on the last run.”

“I could have put it all together a bit more. It is so close — we were four tenths off, but P16. A few more positions and we would have been in the reverse grid, and that would have made it a different weekend. There was definitely potential, but again, it is something to learn from.”

Sunday’s Feature Race initially offered another opportunity to move forward. David focused on tyre management and consistency through the opening phase before attempting to make progress following the Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car interruptions.

A move into Turn One ended with a spin and a penalty, leaving him to recover what he could from the remaining laps. While disappointed by the outcome, David accepted responsibility and said the incident would become another important lesson from his rookie campaign.

“In the Feature Race, I was saving tyres and just trying to stay consistent behind the cars ahead,” he said.

“After the Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car restarts, I had a good run out of the last corner and wanted to go for a move into Turn One. Unfortunately, when I made the move, the car in front was also making a move and we ended up three-wide into the corner.”

“I managed not to make contact at the apex, but I had to lock the brakes to avoid contact and unfortunately ended up in a spin. After that, there were only a few laps left and I was happy to gain a few positions, but we had the 10-second penalty.”

“I fully accept responsibility for what happened, but I am glad it is a mistake I can learn from. It was not just bad luck. Obviously I would rather it had not happened, but now I know for next time, so I am taking it as a learning opportunity.”

For David, Budapest was ultimately a weekend of mixed emotions: a strong Sprint Race recovery, clear pace to fight closer to the points, and a Feature Race lesson to carry forward into the final two rounds.

The championship now pauses before returning at Monza and Madrid, giving David the chance to reset after an intense run of races and prepare for the closing phase of his first FIA Formula 3 season.

“It is my rookie season, so my head is definitely still held high,” he said.

“These things happen, and it is something to learn from. Being able to bounce back from anything is a good skill to have. Now we are going into the summer break, so I can really reset and come back stronger for Monza.”

David also plans to use the break to step away from racing briefly, focus on his schoolwork and return with renewed energy for the final two rounds.

“I am going to use the summer break to really switch off,” he said.

“I have a lot of school to focus on, but this summer break is going to be a bit different. I want to reset my mind from a career and life perspective and think about what I can do better day to day, how I can improve myself and how I can improve for my career.”

“Then I will study, work hard and dedicate as much time and energy as possible to these last two races. I am certain I will push my limits and make no excuses. I am going to give everything for the last two rounds and to end my rookie year in Formula 3 as strongly as possible.”

Yevan David’s racing is supported by Lion Beer 0.0%, Maliban, Dimo Group, Nations Trust Bank, Fidem Asia and the Ceylon Motor Sports Club (CMSC).

The FIA Formula 3 Championship resumes at Monza for the penultimate event of the season on September 4-6.