F3®: Barter ready to soak up the 'atmosphere' at Albert Park
Friday, 17 March 2023
The 17-year-old is keen to make a name for himself.
For 17-year-old, Formula 3® driver, Hugh Barter, the jump to F3® racing has been one to get used to, however, competing at 42 F4® races across seven months in 2022 has made the transition that much easier.
A breakout 2022, Barter’s call up to F3® with Campos Racing came off the back of two stellar Formula 4® Championship campaigns. Runners up at both the Spanish and French competitions, the Melbourne-raised teenager not only experienced a heightened year on track but also adapted to the fast-paced nature of professional racing around the world, learnings he says that will make all the difference as he launches into his rookie F3® season.
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“With F3 being 10 rounds, there’s a lot of travelling across nine different countries so I think having the dual championship last year combined with the amount of travelling I was doing where it was getting quite tiring, I think that experience will be helpful moving forward,” Barter told AGPC.
A long way from his local racetrack in Melbourne’s south, Barter’s official F3® debut in Sakhir, Bahrain earlier this month had him showing promising signs for the future. Despite missing out on points, the Campos debutant finished the weekend 16th in standings, feeling positive with the team’s pace and confident coming into his home race at Albert Park.
That same Albert Park Grand Prix circuit he will race in just 13 days’ time as the one that first inspired his passion for racing 15 years ago.
“I do remember sitting on the exit of turn one and two and seeing how fast the cars go and it got my attention, I had a lot of adrenaline from that and as my dad says, my eyes just opened up.”
And that’s when it all began for the Barter family… A mere three years later, a wide-eyed five-year-old received his first kart, however, was quickly faced with challenges from the get-go.
“It’s been quite a journey, I started racing in Australia when I was five.”
“You weren’t allowed to get your license until you were seven years old, but I go my first kart when I was five and was racing at our local unsanctioned track. Now it’s a bit different, it’s more nurturing, it invites the really young kids to start learning before they get their official license.”
Across the junior ranks, 2019 saw Barter achieve the Victoria Kart Championship- KA4 title, place runners up at both the Australian Kart- KA4 and Victoria Kart- KA3 Championships and claim third place status at the Rotax Pro Tour Championship- J-Max.
Now racing globally and within the Formula 3® category, Barter is launching his season alongside a fellow Aussie competitor and a familiar face from his junior years. With 18-year-old NSW raised, Christian Mansell also joining the Campos Racing team in 2023, Barter says that driving alongside a fellow Aussie localises the chaotic nature of the professional racing schedule and that their pairing makes for quite an entertaining team culture.
“He’s more of a true Aussie and I’m more inner-city,” Barter laughs.
“We’ve been racing against each other since we were 12 years old, we have a really good dynamic on the team and we’re pretty good mates.”
As for returning home and making his Australian Grand Prix™ debut?
“I’m looking forward to seeing the fans and the atmosphere because I think Australia really does have the best one”.
A positive but unlucky #F3 debut for @HughBarter in Bahrain as he set the 5th fastest time in qualifying, he finished Race 1 11th just outside the points 26th in Race 2 following a puncture.
— All Road Management (@All_Road) March 5, 2023
Let's keep pushing for your home race in Melbourne 💪🏻
📸: Formula Motorsport Ltd pic.twitter.com/Fe5wD0FWqC
