British F3 could see two more on Silverstone grid

The Cooper Tires British F3 grid is set to gain another talented young British driver next month when Alexander Sims joins the field for the championship's Silverstone rounds. The 22-year-old, currently riding high in the F3 Euro Series, will make his British F3 debut as part of a three-car squad entered by French-based team ART Grand Prix.

Another additional driver hoping to be at Silverstone on 1/2 May is Taiwanese pilot Kevin Chen, who is scheduled to join Chinese driver Adderly Fong in the Sino Vision Racing team but who is currently grounded in China and will almost certainly miss Wednesday's vital Silverstone test session.

Sims, who won the second round of the F3 Euro Series at Le Castellet earlier this month to take second in the standings, is thrilled to be adding the Silverstone races to his schedule: "I'm extremely excited. It's a chance to try something new and will be a real challenge both for myself and for the team." Sims will be the third TEAM UK driver, alongside Carlin's James Calado and Fortec's Oli Webb, on the British F3 grid.

Sims' ART team-mates at Silverstone will be Mexico's Esteban Gutierrez and Frenchman Jim Pla.

Another Frenchman, Jean-Eric Vergne, leads the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series thanks to his twin early-April wins at Oulton Park for the Carlin team.

As for Chen, it's a nervous time for him and for Sino Vision team boss Chris Churchill: "We have signed Kevin for selected races, but of course he is stuck in China. He was due to join us at the test on Wednesday at Silverstone but we just don't know when he will be able to get here."