Juffali cherishes British F3 Championship experience

Saudi driver Reema Juffali says the experience she gained from her latest outing at the BRDC British F3 Championship was hugely valuable, and the 29-year-old also paid tribute to those fans supporting her back home.

Juffali, part of the Douglas Motorsport team, was in action at Donington Park in the third stage of the competition, having recorded a fourth-place finish last time out at Silverstone.

The fourth-place finish was made all the more impressive given the fact Juffali had been penalised during the qualifying round for not adhering to the track limit rules at Silverstone, which are different to other circuits in the championship.

On this occasion, Juffali was competitive throughout and although she was unable to finish the two races on Sunday, there were undoubtedly positives to take.

“The weekend was a tough one,” said Juffali, as she reflected on the event. “I knew it was going to be challenging going into it having had experience on the track. I think there were definitely positives, from testing to qualifying and then into the races. I was only improving and getting better throughout the weekend, and the same goes for my racing and race craft.

“The experience I gained was very valuable and I’ve learnt a lot from the mistakes I made. I’m going to take that, improve on it and definitely come back stronger for the next stage at Spa.”

With a two-week break before the next stage of the competition, which takes place on July 24-25, Juffali explained how she will be preparing for the event.

“It’s important after a weekend that didn’t really go your way to take some time off, come back with a fresh mind and reflect on the good, as well as the things you need to improve on, which is what I’m going to do over the next week or so,” said the Jeddah-born driver.

“The following week will be all about preparation for Spa and doing some sim work because I’ve never raced there before so I’m going to need to do a lot of work with the team behind the scenes in order to make sure I’m as ready as possible, incorporating sim work, data and as much as I can do.”

Despite the fact she is currently performing many miles from home, Juffali is a proud Saudi national, and she reserved some special praise for those fans who are supporting her from afar, as she bids to make her mark in F3.

“I’d like to say a really big thank you for all the support and encouragement I’ve received,” she said.

“Even though I’m racing in the UK, I do feel as though I’m sharing it with everyone back home. Good or bad, I share my experiences with them and I hope they’re enjoying being part of the journey.

“When it doesn’t go your way, it’s important to share that, and the messages and kind support I’ve received really does go a long way, so a big thank you to everybody who is supporting me.”

Juffali competed at the Silverstone for the first time in her career and admitted driving on the iconic track was a great learning experience in terms of her development.

“It was better than I expected,’ she reflected. “It was tough at times but the track is demanding and physical. There are a lot of areas where you can overtake and it really puts your driving into perspective. It’s so dynamic, with high-speed stuff and low-speed stuff. It taught me a lot and to do this where I watched my first Formula 1 race, at such a historic and popular track, says it all. It was perfect timing.”