Ayrton Simmons enjoyed a successful weekend at Donington Park, with the 17-year-old securing a trio of top 10 finishes in just his second race meeting in British Formula 3.

The Epping racer was back with Chris Dittmann Racing having made his F3 debut at the famous Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium in July and proved that he wasn’t there just to make up the numbers, with the 17-year-old qualifying in third place for race one.

Simmons enjoyed a good start in the first race, putting pressure on pole-sitter Billy Monger from the getaway and he managed to leapfrog the Carlin driver on lap two.

He then set about chasing down leader Nicolai Kjaergaard, cutting his advantage to 0.8 seconds, but with first place in sight, Simmons came under attack from Jamie Caroline and slipped back down to third.

Simmons remained in the top three for the majority of the race but with a podium finish in sight, a tense battle with Krishnaraaj Mahadik, which saw the duo exchange positions on numerous occasions, saw the 17-year-old eventually drop down to fourth.

The Epping racer slipped further down the pecking order on the penultimate lap meaning he crossed the line in sixth place, but the 17-year-old could certainly take plenty of positives from the opening race following an impressive performance.

It was to be the same again for Simmons in race two, after he was promoted to sixth after the chequered flag following Max Defourny’s penalty and Tom Gamble’s exclusion.

A strong return to action in F3 was then rounded off in race three, when Simmons made it a trio of top 10 finishes after crossing the line in seventh place, meaning he left Donington with a further 49 points to his name.

The Epping racer’s focus now turns to Brands Hatch this weekend, where the 17-year-old is hoping to chase down Kiern Jewiss to become British F4 champion.