It wasn’t quite the Formula 3 ‘debut’ I had hoped for – a virtual SIM race at Barcelona instead of the real deal – but it was great to take part as a wildcard in the Australian Racing Group’s eSport Cup recently.

I’ve done more laps around Barcelona than any other circuit, so I had an advantage there, but to take away a race win, a podium, and the overall round win was satisfying.

The ARG series was competitive upfront with only a half-a-tenth across the top three in qualifying – the opposition was first-rate.

As with lots of online races, early on it was more about who could keep their car on the track, but when it settled down it was good fun, and the competition filled the void that the isolation has created.

To have a properly organised race and race real, talented drivers again was excellent.

It got me pumped up enough to text the ARG guys immediately afterwards to see if I can take part in its next round. I’m not expecting a “yes,” but I wanted to let them know how much I enjoyed the night and appreciated the opportunity.

It was pretty cool to line up in a race with drivers like Garth Tander and Steve Johnson, names I’ve watched on TV since I was a little kid – they’re legends.

It was also good to race against talented young guys like Tom Randle, Will Brown, and Jay Hanson, drivers you know are serious enough but are not there fighting for their lives.

After winning Race 1, I had to start the next race 20th, but I was able to come home with a podium to secure the round – similar to what I did in real life at the same track last year!

I knew there was going to be heaps of carnage with the reversed grid, so I tried not to get taken out on the first lap, but Nick Carroll and I had a little bingle. Luckily, it was just a spin with no damage and only a couple of seconds lost, and I was able to get back on my way quickly and stay out of trouble for the remaining laps.

There were no podium celebrations afterwards, but there was a reward – Mum’s Golden Syrup dumplings that I had waiting for me when the race was over. Being based in Europe, I only get to enjoy them two or three times a year, so they went down a treat!

Ironically, I was supposed to be in Barcelona racing my HP Tuners Prema Racing Dallara in the FIA F3 Championship this weekend.

I’ve been in constant contact with Prema and Renault Sport during the pandemic lockdown, keeping up-to-date about when the season might kick-off.

There’s still a lot of uncertainty, and there’s not much more that they can tell us at this point than what you’re reading in the pages of this Auto Action issue.

What I do know is that when everything is safe and the time is right, I’ll be ready to go!

Cheers, Oscar

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