Although he was unable to claim a victory in this year’s FIA Formula 3 Championship, Calan Williams still holds his head up high in what he sees as a successful season.
 
The West Australian’s second year in the championship was once again with Jenzer Motorsport and for the second year running, he was the Swiss outfit’s best performer.
 
A tough initiation into the category last year saw Williams unable to claim any points in his rookie season, however he turned that around this year thanks to a number of mature performances.
 
It only took Williams four races to notch up his first points in F3 and the then 20-year-old did it in style with a maiden podium in the first race of the second round in France, before backing it up with eighth place in race two.
 


Unfortunately, he was only able to secure one more points finish for the rest of the year, a P9 during the following round at the Red Bull Ring, but he still showed lots of pace and made plenty of overtakes throughout the year.
 
Finishing the year in 19th overall and with 15 championship points, Williams was positive about his year and believed he had learned everything he needed to improve as a driver.
 
“I went into the season focused on developing myself as much as I can. I put in everything and there were plenty of good and bad moments, but I really think I made the most of the opportunities I had,” Williams said.
 
“I would say given the circumstances, it was hard to judge how I handled things out of my control, but I think the way that I managed things that were in my control and took opportunities was quite good.
 


“This past year, I worked a lot harder than I ever have in the past. Doing that really helped me to continue improving and maturing as a driver as I understood it all a lot better.
 
“The other thing I did was I was able to identify flaws within myself which will help me improve in the long run. Whether that’s inside the car or fitness or mental strength. I think that working on those helped me perform and get the maximum out of the car.

“It's such a competitive series where you have 30 of the best young drivers around the world. It's certainly a high-pressure environment and one where you have to identify weaknesses to improve.
 
“Obviously I would have liked better results, but anyone would say that and from my side, I honestly made the most of my opportunities and improved so that’s why I think this season was a success.”
 


Now that he has completed two seasons, Williams is looking to continue his progression in the single-seater open-wheel ladder with a move to the FIA Formula 2 Championship next on the horizon.
 
“I think what I have done in Formula 3 this year is learn as much as I can and made the most of this category in the two years of being there,” Williams added.
 
“I feel I have developed as a driver as much as I can in Formula 3 and the obvious next step is to move into Formula 2.
 
“To be honest, although I don’t have all the results to show it, I think looking at what I have achieved as a driver in my circumstances, I really do think I am ready. The results will come and everything will eventually fall into place.

“I am ready to make the step up and I can confirm that we will be testing a Formula 2 car in Abu Dhabi later this year, which is extremely exciting.”
 
With the FIA Formula 3 Championship now done, there are still two rounds of the Formula 2 Championship still to run, with testing to take place post-season at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi on 16 - 18 December.