Disappointing second day for Max at the Hungaroring

Published on 31 May 2014 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen did not experience the best of times during the second day of the Hungarian round of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. His race 1 ended early due to mechanical issues. Later on in the day, the talented Dutchman went on to secure P5 on the grid for both Sunday races.

The day kicks off with the first race of the weekend which sees the 16-year-old Dutchman start from third. As the lights go out, Max and Tom Blomqvist are of the line quickest and both pass pole sitter Esteban Ocon. Side by side the Dutchman and Englishman approach the first corner with Blomqvist forcing Max to the outside. Verstappen junior takes evasive action and briefly finds himself outside the track parameters, loosing second place to Ocon in the process.

“I had a good start but unfortunately I wasn’t able to keep my gained position with all the on-track battles going on. In the second lap my clutch started slipping, which meant that I had to use a higher gear in certain corners. Despite these issues I managed to set a solid pace whilst I hung on to the two leaders.”

Ultimately, the clutch issues end the Dutchman's race prematurely as he pits his Van Amersfoort racer after six laps. “I’m really disappointed because of this DNF. I could and should have taken third place to score vital points for the championship”, says Max. “The teams are free to chose what kind of clutch they use so now we'll look into solving the issues for the next race.”

At the front, Blomqvist eases to victory taking the chequered flag five seconds ahead of Ocon. Felix Rosenqvist claims the last spot on the podium. Max' team mate and fellow Dutchman Jules Szymkowiak scores his first points of the season after inheriting P6 due to drive through penalties given to Van Amersfoort Racing colleague Gustavo Menezes and Antonio Fuoco.

Despite the disappointing result in race 1, Max and the team immediately shift their attention to qualifying scheduled Saturday afternoon. The session determines the grid slots for the two remaining races on Sunday. The fastest lap counts towards the grid for the second race and the drivers' second fastest lap decides the line-up for the final race of the weekend.

The session gets under way over half an hour late due to repairs to the barriers. Regardless, the Van Amersfoort mechanics are able to replace Max' clutch and the Dutchman is able to participate in qualifying.
Once again it is Esteban Ocon who dictates the pace. The Frenchman is the only driver to set a lap time under a 1:36 and his two fastest laps (1:35.800 and 1:35.872) secure pole for both Sunday races.

Meanwhile, Max struggles to put in front running lap times. His two fastest laps (1:36.279 and 1:36.400) grant him P5 for both races. “It was a tough session. The rear of the car keeps sliding. This means I can't carry the speed out of the corner which results in a lot of lost lap time.”

The top five is the same for both races with Ocon on pole ahead of Antonio Fuoco, Lucas Auer, Rosenqvist and Max. The other two Van Amersfoort Racing drivers will start further to the back. Szymkowiak qualified in P19 and P17. Gustavo Menezes will start both races from twelfth on the grid.

“We'll investigate how we can improve the rear of the car. I'll also try to have a good start and gain places there. After that, we'll just have to wait and see what happens but I'm giving it my all”, concludes a feisty Max.

The full schedule for the FIA F3 European Championship round at the Hungaroring can be found here.
To follow Max 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. 

FIA Formula 3 European Championship Round 4 - Hungaroring – Day 2, Saturday May 31: 
Results race 1
Results qualifying race 2
Results qualifying race 3