Dan Ticktum’s quest to secure sufficient points for a Formula 1 Super Licence took another blow after a disappointing second round in the Asian F3 Winter Series.
Red Bull protégé Ticktum finished runner-up to Mick Schumacher in last year’s European Formula 3 Championship and secured a second straight win at the prestigious Macau Grand Prix.
He was an outside contender for a 2019 Toro Rosso Formula 1 seat but lacked the required Super Licence points, while his maturity was also questioned by Red Bull’s team boss.
Ticktum linked up with Hitech GP for the three-round series and a top three in the standings would have been sufficient to get the Briton across the 40-point mark.
But after a low-key showing in the first event in Thailand Ticktum lost further ground during last weekend’s second round at Sepang in Malaysia.
Ticktum was a non-starter in the opening race and followed it up with fifth in Race 2 – having started at the back – and ninth in Race 3.
Ticktum has now dropped to eighth in the championship, on 38 points, with last year’s Pro Mazda champion Rinus van Kalmthout atop the standings, having amassed 133 points.
Third-placed Alessandro Ghiretti is on 73 points, meaning there remains some distance between him and Ticktum with just one event remaining, also at Sepang.
Ticktum’s full-time campaign will come in the Japan-based Super Formula championship this year, where he will race for the Mugen team that guided Pierre Gasly to the runner-up spot in 2017.
