Max suffers oversteer during Palm Beach free practice sessions
Published on 04 February 2014 by Stefan Meens
Palm Beach International Raceway is the host for the second round of the Florida Winter Series. The event kicked off on Monday with three free practice sessions. Max Verstappen, who is one of the participants in the Series supported by the Ferrari Driver Academy, experienced a mixed day as he battled oversteer and ever changing track and weather conditions.
The conditions presented the drivers with the challenge to improve their times as the track and grip levels evolved. Max set several purple sector times in a field mainly flocked by Formula 3 drivers, but nevertheless the Dutchman ended all of the free practice sessions in the middle of the pack.
Time to try different set-ups as the wet weather tyres and wet track highlight the tricky conditions
Max starts the day with a set of laps in the 1:14.6 region, which means he is only a few tenths shy of the front runners' pace. Despite several minor set-up tweaks, Max is not able to top his best time. He therefore finishes the first session in seventh with a 1:46.646, half a second a drift from the top of the time sheets.
Max: "It just wasn't a great session. I struggled with a lot of oversteer which takes the life out of the tyres. At one point is was unable to commit to the throttle as the car was sliding too much. So I don't think I could have gone any faster. "
For free practice 2, Max is able to go out on fresh rubber. As the track is dry, he soon sets a 1:14.441. He is able to hang on to second place for a while, but the oversteer comes back to haunt the young Dutchman. Nevertheless, he manages to improve his time by a tenth, showing his talent and tenacity.
"The oversteer remained an issue, despite trying several set-up options", explains Max. In the end, a 1:14.179 was his fastest lap, granting him a solid sixth place at the end of the second session.
Ready for the next session!
The third and last session of the day is delayed by half an hour due to a proper downpour. The initial lap times on a drying track are slow but they start tumbling as more and more cars go out and the track conditions improve. After twenty minutes, Max occupies third with a 1:19.1. After that Max returns to the pits to improve the handling of the car. The changes certainly worked as Max sets a 1:18.0 moving him into second. However, in the end several drivers upped their game meaning Verstappen junior has to settle for eighth.
"The tyres were already past their best when we started the last session and unfortunately we didn't have any new tyres. You would normally assume that my times would be slower on used tyres but I managed to gain a couple of tenths in some of the sectors."
When asked about the track itself, Max is clear: "The surface is very rough which stops you from pushing. You are constantly trying to minimize the sliding. Also, there are not a lot of exciting corners where you can make your mark and make a difference. The long, never ending corners are just not an advantage for me."
Results day 1 (Monday February 3) – Palm Beach International Raceway – Florida Winter Series:
Results free practice 1
Results free practice 2
Results free practice 3
Schedule Florida Winter Series Round 2, Palm Beach International Raceway (GMT):
Tuesday February 4 03.00pm-03.30pm: Qualifying Race 1 04.00pm-04.30pm: Qualifying Race 3 08.45pm-09.45pm: Race 1 Wednesday February 5 04.00pm-04.30pm: Race 2 08.45pm-09.15pm: Race 3
Select for a direct link to the Florida Winter Series livetiming.
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