Battling Shaaban aims to cash in on Belgian break
Arab driver fights illness to show his desire in tough F3 Euro Series
Basil Shaaban has vowed to shake off the flu and put an irritating sequence of misfortune behind him to prove he is a driver who can find his way past any obstacle to gain a place in motor racing’s top flight.
Shaaban bravely battled against a high fever and near exhaustion during his latest F3 Euro Series outing in Germany last weekend, and hopes to make full use of an appearance in the British F3 championship at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on Friday and Saturday.
Born in Beirut and raised in Abu Dhabi, the only Arab driver contesting the F3 Euro Series sees the Belgian excursion as a perfect opportunity to get some valuable added time behind the wheel of his Shell Dallara Mercedes.
The next Euro Series event at Brands Hatch in England is another four weeks away, and Shaaban is determined to relax, enjoy and learn from his visit to the famous Spa circuit.
“I’m just getting over the flu and should be 100 per cent fit again for Belgium,” he said. “I’ve had a frustrating couple of weekends in the F3 Euro Series, but I’m not going to let that get me down because I’m confident much better times are just around the corner.”
His challenge at Zandvoort in Holland two weeks ago was hindered from the start by mechanical delays and yellow flags during qualifying, although he later fought his way to 21st and then 19th positions in the two 27-driver races.
Last weekend at the Nurburgring, his Shell Dallara Mercedes suffered fuel pump failure during qualifying, meaning he was dropped to the back of the starting grid for race one.
Battling the flu, he overcame a difficult start the following day when slowed by a two-car collision at the first corner and climbed from 30th to 19th place at the finish.
In Sunday’s second race, a brush with Chinese driver Cong Fu Cheng, who blocked him from passing on the first lap, resulted in a punctured right-front tire which had to be nursed to the pits. Later his gearbox stopped shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear, forcing Shaaban to retire one lap before the chequered flag, although he was eventually classified in 24th place.
Italian Edoardo Mortara still tops the F3 Euro Series championship, but his lead has been cut to a single point by Germany’s Nick Hülkenberg, with the latest of the flying Finns, Mika Mäki, just three points further adrift.
F3 Euro Series leading positions after 6 of 10 events:
1. Edoardo Mortara (I) 40pts
2. Nick Hülkenberg (D) 39pts
3. Mika Mäki (FIN) 36pts
4. Renger van der Zande (NL) 31pts
5. Jules Bianchi (F) 29pts
6. Christian Vietoris (D) 21pts
7. Yann Clairay (F) 20pts
8. Jon Lancaster (GB) 19pts
9. Franck Mailleux (F) 19pts
10. Jean Karl Vernay (F) 18.5pts
Remaining events:
29-31 August - Brands Hatch (GB)
19-21 September - Circuit de Catalunya (E)
3-5 October - Le Mans Bugatti Circuit (F)
24-26 October - Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg (D)
