Close qualifying session grants Max P2
Published on 02 August 2014 by Stefan Meens
At the Red Bull Ring, qualifying for the FIA Formula 3 European Championship went down to the wire. At the Austrian circuit, which hosts the eighth round of the series, Max Verstappen and Esteban Ocon duelled for pole position in the first quali of the weekend. In the end, the championship leader beat the talented Dutchman to it. Nevertheless, Max is pleased with P2: “I’m happy with a spot on the front row. We had plenty of speed today and the car was very well balanced.”
As always, qualifying on Friday is preceded by two free practice session. Max ends the sessions in eleventh and fifth, leaving room for improvement. “We drove FP1 entirely on used tyres so the gap between me and the front didn’t bother me that much. Mainly because most drivers switched to new rubber in the first session anyway.”
He continues: “We switched to new tyres halfway in FP2 and but the difference in time between old and new rubber wasn’t as great as I hoped. But I think we’ve found some set up changes that will help us further forward in qualifying.”
As it would turn out, Max judged the situation correctly. In the opening stages of qualifying, Ocon, Tom Blomqvist and Antonio Giovinazzi top the leaderboards but with a few minutes remaining Max puts himself among the front runners. For a moment it appears Max will pip Blomqvist for pole but in the end Ocon snatches the treasured first spot on the grid with a 1:24.856, lapping a tenth faster than Verstappen junior.
Max: In the early stages of qualifying, I was held up in traffic so I dropped off to create a gap. However, a couple of cars ahead of me went off the track resulting in sand being thrown on the circuit so it took a while to set my best time. In the end, I was confident I would set a good time as qualifying is decided in the closing minutes most of the time anyway.”
Looking ahead to the first race, Max explains how the set up of his Dallara F312 Volkswagen racer differs between qualifying and race. “During quali, the car is more ‘on edge’. However, for the races, in which you have to maximize you speed over a longer period, the car is set up in a more forgiving way so it’s easier to control.”
Max is optimistic for race 1. “A good start will be crucial to stay close to the car in front as there are good opportunities to slipstream and thus to overtake here at the Red Bull Ring.”
The full schedule for the Red Bull Ring Euro F3 round can be found here.
Furthermore, you can follow Max via the official live timing and the live stream (races only).
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 8 – Red Bull Ring – Day 1, Friday August 1:
Result free practice 1
Result free practice 2
Result qualifying 1
