DUBAI: Saudi racing star Reema Juffali has taken plenty of positives from her debut season at the British F3 Championship describing it as a key learning curve in her motorsport career.
In the final round of the championship at Donington Park in the UK, the Jeddah-born driver battled hard and although unable to finish the first race due to a collision, she managed 15th and 18th places respectively in the final two races for her team Douglas Motorsport.
Having come up against some of the sport’s top drivers during the season, which included her best-ever finish of fourth position, Juffali felt she had made significant progress since the first round of this year’s British F3 Championship.
She said: “My driving has improved so much in 2021. My confidence has grown, and I can now adapt faster to changing situations while also understanding what I need to do in the car for optimal on-track performance and the importance of making the right calls whilst competing.
“I’ve gained so much experience this year and of course, the team at Douglas Motorsport has been really supportive, giving me the right help and advice that I needed to take those crucial steps forward in my driving career.”
Juffali competed in seven of the eight rounds of the British F3 Championship, racking up 21 races in total, including six at the iconic Silverstone track.
Although she narrowly missed the podium, Juffali noted that the high level of the competition provided a great learning curve which will help her to become an even better driver in the future.
“During this season, I had my ups and downs and had good races which I can look back on. There were times when I could completely focus on my race and what I needed to do rather than looking behind me.
“Also, learning from my mistakes was crucial. Some were simply unlucky but there were a few where I felt I had made the wrong choice, so I have learned from the good and the bad.
“The tracks were very demanding, and these challenges enabled me to make better decisions. When you have a bad day, which I had plenty of, I now know how to pick myself up and turn it around,” she added.
Juffali, who will fly back to Saudi Arabia in mid-November, admitted that although it would be hard to say goodbye to her team at Douglas Motorsport, that has been a key part in her development this season, she had already started planning for next season.
“It was an emotional end to the season. I spent more time with my team this year than with my friends and family and I really appreciate all the hard work they put in; we made a great team. It was a difficult goodbye, but motorsport is a small world and I’m sure I’ll be bumping into them again.
“For me, the work doesn’t stop as I’m already planning what’s next and what we need to do so there isn’t much rest between seasons. I’m really excited about the future and I’m looking forward to announcing my next challenge soon,” she said.