Mixed first day at Hockenheim
Published on 17 October 2014 by Stefan Meens
It was a mixed day for Max Verstappen at the Hockenheimring. In qualifying for race 1, the Red Bull Junior snatched pole by a fine margin. Unfortunately, qualifying for the second and third race of the final FIA Formula 3 European Championship round did not go to plan as the on-track as the Dutchman had to settle for ninth (race 2) and eighth (race 3).
The on-action kicks off with two free practice sessions. P5 in free practice 1 is followed by a stronger performance in free practice 2 with the Van Amersfoort Racing driver setting the third fastest time. “I was reasonably pleased with third, considering I only did a limited amount of laps”, explains Max, who damaged the car at the end of the first session. “The track was still a bit damp. As I entered the Motodrom, my car bottomed out, sending me into a spin. I was able to avoid the first wall but unfortunately hit the second. This resulted in a broken wing and a bend track rod.”
The Van Amersfoort Racing boys have their work cut out but manage to patch the car up in time for the first qualifying session. Max seems unphased by his off earlier in the day and from the start, the 17-year-old, together with Lucas Auer and Tom Blomqvist, sits at the top of the time table. In the end, it is Max who claims the pole position for race 1 with a 1:32.002, lapping the German track 0.018s faster than Auer and 0.074s quicker than Blomqvist.
“It was a close fight so it feels extra great to grab pole. I was pretty happy with the car and I’m pleased I was able to put in fast lap at the end of the session. The tarmac is pretty rough around here, which means the tyres go off quickly.”
The second qualifying session, determining the starting grid for race 2 and 3, is not as positive for Max. “I just didn’t have any grip. No idea why. We hardly changed anything on the car so it's pretty odd we were so off the pace compared to the first quali", says Max who has to settle for P9 and P8 and a second adrift from pole sitter Blomqvist, who claimed the prime spot on the grid for the last two races of the season.
“I'm confident we'll have our pace back in the morning as I had good speed on the tyres I claimed pole with. And for the other two races, I'm banking on a good start to work my way up”, concludes a motivated Max.
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 Imola Euro F3 round can be found here.
Furthermore, you can follow Max via the official live timing and the livestream (races only).
FIA Formula 3 European Championship Round 11 – Hockenheim - Day 1, Friday 17 October:
Results free practice 1
Results free practice 2
Results qualifying race 1
Results qualifying race 2
Results qualifying race 3
