MONGER RETURNS TO RACING WITH PODIUM

WHERE: OULTON PARK WHEN: MARCH 31 It was like a fairytale or Hollywood film script. Less than 12 months after his horrific British Formula 4 crash at Donington Park which led to a double leg amputation, Billy Monger was on the podium again.

He’d secured third place at the opening round of the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship at Oulton Park on his racing return, and through the course of the year would claim three more rostrums and sixth in the overall standings.

Over the winter he’d re-learnt how to drive using handcontrols created by Carlin but still needed Motorsport Vision, operators of British F3, to give the team permission to run an extra car. This was after Monger had got the FIA to overturn a rule banning disabled drivers from racing single-seaters. Perhaps his personal moment from the season, though, was being given the chance to drive a 2011 Sauber F1 car at Rockingham as part of a Sky Sports F1 programme.