Race 1 at the Norisring grants Max fourth win in a row
Published on 28 June 2014 by Stefan Meens
In 1993, Jos Verstappen won the two Norisring races of the prestigious German F3 championship. 21 years later, Max Verstappen follows in his father’s footsteps by winning the first race of the sixth FIA Formula 3 European championship round in the streets of Nuremberg.
Race 1 proved to be spectacular and chaotic but Max persevered after dropping from third to fifth at the start. After four safety cars and a several stunning overtaking manoeuvres, the 16-year-old claimed his fourth win a row, adding to his Spa-Francorchamp hat-trick.
Max does not have the best of starts. In the run to the first corner he is blocked and forced to take evasive action resulting in him dropping to fifth as Lucas Auer and Tom Blomqvist pass Verstappen junior.
“The start was difficult and it was tight at the first corner. I tried to stay out of the trouble and keep the car in one piece as it’s a long race.”
Meanwhile, at the back of the field, Felipe Guimaraes and Dennis van de Laar collide at the first turn and the safety car comes out. Before the field is picked up by the safety car, Max has found a way passed Auer and thus moves into fourth.
One lap after the first restart, Blomqvist tapps Ocon as the duo heads into the first hairpin, and Max is forced to cut the corner in avoidance. A lap later, the Van Amersfoort Racing driver passes Blomqvist at the final corner, moments before the safety car appears for a second time.
After the restart, Esteban Ocon challenges polesitter Felix Rosenqvist for the lead and successfully takes the top spot. A lap later, Max also overtakes the Swede as he passes the F3 veteran on the inside of turn 1. The Dutchman chases down Ocon and after planning his move for several laps, he successfully takes the lead.
In the final part of the race, the safety car comes out another two times. Max seems unfazed and successfully defends his lead at both restarts. In the closing stages he puts in impressive lap times, propelling him to a comfortable victory.
“After my cautious start I was able to pass each of my opponents in the rest of the race. We have excellent pace today so let’s see what the rest of the weekend brings”, concludes a delighted Max.
With this fourth straight win and his fifth of the season, Max equals championship leader Ocon’s five wins of the year. Furthermore, the young Dutchman jumps Tom Blomqvist in the standings to inherit second overall.
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.
The full schedule for the FIA F3 European Championship round at the Norisring can be found here.
Furthermore, you can follow Max via the official Euro F3 live timing and stream (races only).
FIA Formula 3 European Championship Round 6 – Norisring – Day 2, Saturday June 28:
Results race 1
