Racing ace Seb Morris is looking to put a “shocking” 2014 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup opening round behind him as he chases after a podium place at Silverstone this weekend.

Herts Advertiser: Seb Morris is preparing for round two of Formula Renault NEC at Silverstone.Seb Morris is preparing for round two of Formula Renault NEC at Silverstone. (Image: Archant)

The 18-year-old St Albans-based driver heads to the Northamptonshire track after 15th and seventh placed finishes at Monza in round one.

“In my opinion it was shocking,” the Caterham Racing Academy driver told the Herts Ad after he gave a talk at Jack Wills last Thursday.

“Fifteenth and seventh out of 40 may sound good but in the first race I was spun round and driven over when we were on for a solid place. Those things are out of my control so I have to keep head down and get a solid result in the second race.”

While two top half finishes earned him ninth place in the standings heading into rounds three and four, the reason for Morris’ frustration, and his optimism for the season, was the car.

The Fortec Motorsport driver topped the times in practice but an error before qualifying saw him start the race well down the grid.

“In [practice] we all had new tyres and you can sense where people are for pace and it usually doesn’t change. We were quickest in practice and I was thinking ‘wow, I’m pretty good on this track’,” said the TAG Heuer ambassador and Jack Wills Young Briton.

“But coming up to qualifying the team made a mistake with the tyres because the pressure monitor was wrong. We couldn’t get the tyres up to working temperature so there was less grip. My team-mate and I went from first and fourth to 16th and 19th. We managed to make the most of it but we have to forget about it and reset [for Silverstone].”

Morris’ preparation for Silverstone has been excellent with two tests on the 3.66 mile track. In fact, he admitted he is getting more and more comfortable with the car since stepping up from Formula 4 this season.

“I’ve nearly finished my preparations. I’ve got to go to the factory one more time but I’ve been in the simulators and learning about my mistakes,” he said.

“We’ve had two test days at Silverstone and one at Spa so that’s three solid days in the car and the maximum time on the track.

“I feel comfortable in the car. All the F1 drivers say you’ve got to be as comfortable as possible and then the results will come.”

Clearly the speed is already there but there is more to come from Morris this season, he is certain of that, although he added that the step up has been tougher than he thought.

“It’s been a lot harder than I expected so I think the expectation is to get on the podium consistently and pick up some good points, not make any mistakes, no crashes and don’t go for gaps that aren’t there,” he said.

“I want to finish in the top three of the championship because then people recognise you and you can move forward.”

Practice and qualifying at Silverstone is on Friday, May 23 with round three set to begin on Saturday at 2.40pm and round four the following day at 10.20am.