Maiden European Formula 3 win for Max

Published on 05 May 2014 by Stefan Meens

In only his sixth European Formula 3 race, Max Verstappen took his first win in the series. At the Hockenheimring the 16-year-old Dutchman took a sovereign start to finish victory after securing pole position on Saturday. The win was all the more special as Max and Van Amersfoort Racing suffered a troubled start to the Sunday with the youngster not even making the grid for race 2 due to electronic issues.

Max is of course delighted with his first win in the prestigious FIA Formula 3 European Championship: “To win this race is amazing especially considering the issues that forced us out of the second race. It was even more disappointing as I couldn’t take advantage of my pole for race 2 but it made me more motivated to go for the win in the final race.”

In between the two Sunday F3 races, the DTM drivers absolve their opening round of the series but no one at Van Amersfoort has time to enjoy the on track action. The team is maximizing its efforts to find out what caused Max' stand still before race 2.
Initially the mechanics believe the problems are related to the gear box but further investigations reveal that the electronics have causes the issue. The team makes the decision to replace all the wiring, sensors and steering wheel. It would prove to be the right choice as Max is able to occupy his pole position slot on the grid.

When the lights go out, Max has a tremendous start. Not only does he retain the lead, he instantly creates a gap towards the rest of the field. Behind the Dutch youngster a fierce battle evolves for P2 between Esteban Ocon, Antonio Giovinazzi and Felix Rosenqvist. Their jousting enables Max to take a one-and-a-half second lead.

Due to a safety car, after a patch of artificial grass outside the kerbs got damaged, Max loses his comfortable gap towards Ocon. However, the race lead is never in danger as Max makes the most of the restart. He did however receive a warning for leaving too much space between himself and the safety car but further punishment was not deemed necessary by the race organisation.

“My races in the Florida Winter Series definitely gave me experience in driving behind the safety car so that was helpful. After the restart the gap between me and the others stayed roughly the same. But I have to say it is a lot easier to lead a race in F3 compared to leading in a kart, because you know that the guys trailing you can't get too close as they would lose downforce. In all honesty, it was a fairly relaxed race”, reveals a delighted Max.

Meanwhile several small collisions take place in the mid field. Van Amersfoort Racing driver Gustavo Menezes makes the most of the situation and secures his first points of the season by finishing ninth. Max' other team mate, Jules Szymkowiak, has to settle for sixteenth. All in all a great weekend for the Dutch team made all the more special as Verstappen junior crosses the finish line after 22 laps with his fist proudly in the air. A unique victory as he is the youngest ever race winner in Euro F3.

“I had a great start and I kind of stunned myself how good it was. After that I always kept a lead of over a second. I opted not too push too hard to safe my tyres”, explains Max. “I’m just really happy with this win and I really want to thank the whole Van Amersfoort Racing team for all their hard work throughout the weekend. Of course credit where credit is due to Volkswagen and Spiess for providing us with a strong engine.”

Despite the encouraging pace Max showed throughout the Silverstone and Hockenheim weekends, the win came as a bit of surprise: “If I'm honest, before the season I wasn’t sure we would be able to win races in this championship. I didn’t know the team and I hadn’t tested with them until after I signed the deal so I had no idea what to expect. However, the first collective Euro F3 test went well. I felt comfortable in the car and we really showed our pace at Silverstone. Despite this being my rookie year, I’m not just here to make up the numbers. I always want to fight for victories and finish as high as I can in the championship."

The next round of the European Formula 3 championship is next week in the streets of Pau, France. “It's going to be my first time in a race car on a road course. We'll see how it goes. I've driven on a street course in Las Vegas, but that was in a kart so this is going to be a lot different. I'll try to secure as many points as I can to close the gap to Ocon in the championship, especially after this weekend. So I’m looking forward to Pau”, concludes the European Formula 3 race winner.

FIA Formula 3 European Championship – Round 2, Hockenheim – Day 3 Sunday May 4: 
Results race 3
Euro F3 drivers championship
Euro F3 rookie championship
Euro F3 team championship