First lap collision ends Max' first Hockenheim race
Published on 03 May 2014 by Stefan Meens
The first race of the Hockenheim round of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship turned into a disappointment for Max Verstappen. After a collision, the youngster was forced to retire his Van Amersfoort Racing in the first lap. Meanwhile, Lucas Auer took the win followed by Edward Jones and Jordan King. Max' teammates were also involved in collisions resulting in a DNF for Jules Szymkowiak and a visit to the pits for Gustavo Menezes.
After the starting problems Max endured at Silverstone, the 16-year-old Dutchman is keen to get off the line a lot better in Germany. From fourth place on the grid, Max initially has a good getaway but is hindered by Giovinazzi who struggles to get his race under way. Max has to take evasive action and loses two positions.
“My initial start was good but I was blocked by Giovanizzi. On top of that, my gear box faltered as I shifted from first to second. This remained an issue, even in the higher gears down the main straight.”
Despite the early set backs, Max is keen to make the most of the race and he hunts down Giovinazzi as they approach the tight hairpin at the back of the track. Unfortunately, Max has not spotted the minor traffic jam up the road at the Spitzkehre. Despite his efforts to brake extremely hard, a collision is unavoidable and Max clashes into Nicholas Latifi's car.
“I out braked myself and there wasn’t anywhere I could go to avoid the jam ahead,”, reveals a disappointed Max. The result of the incident are a couple of bend wishbones and ta bend rack rod on top of a bruised nose and ego. “The collision was my mistake and I apologized to Laitifi and I totally understand he wasn’t to happy with me”, says Max before heading to the Van Amersfoort Racing pits to help repair his car for qualifying later on Saturday.
The full schedule for the FIA Formula 3 European Championship round at Hockenheim can be found here.
To follow Max at Hockenheim you can make use of the official Euro F3 live timing and stream:
Live timing is available at: http://livetiming.de/timing/FIA
Live stream (races only) available at: http://www.fiaf3europe.com/livestream.html
Furthermore, via Twitter and Facebook we will keep you updated throughout the weekend followed by a full report on Verstappen.nl at the end of the day’s action. For exclusive pictures of Max, check out our Hockenheim photo album.
FIA Formula 3 European Championship – Round 2, Hockenheim – Day 2, Saturday May 3:
Results race 1
