Just a
week after having mastered the demanding Fórmula 1 circuit of
Spa-Francorchamps, a.k.a. the Ardennes Rollercoaster, the young
Fórmula 3 drivers now will have to face a completely different
challenge: Nuremberg’s Norisring - a street circuit and with a
length of 2.3 kilometres the shortest track on the FIA Fórmula 3
European Championship calendar. Felix Rosenqvist, (Mücke Motorsport)
and Felix Serralles, (Team West-Tec F3), have particularly fond
memories of Nuremberg. While the Swede won one of the races of the
2013 Norisring meeting and made it to the podium in the other two,
Puerto Rico’s Serralles secured two Norisring podiums in 2012.
Both
Rosenqvist and Serralles must score as many points as possible, this
weekend. With 15 races contested, the Swede holds only sixth position
in the championship and Felix Seralles has to settle for being only
11th. Last weekend in Belgium, however, the 21-year-old Puerto Rican
and his Team West-Tec F3 - a newcomer team on the FIA Fórmula 3
European Championship grid - demonstrated their potential and came
very close to securing a podium.
Meanwhile,
three of the top-five positions in the championship are held by
extremely competitive Fórmula 3 rookies. France’s Lotus F1 Junior
Esteban Ocon, (Prema Powerteam), is the championship leader, with the
experienced Briton Tom Blomqvist following 94 points behind in second
position. Rookie Max Verstappen, (Van Amersfoort Racing), won all the
three Spa-Francorchamps rounds and consequently leaped to third
place. With a total of four race wins, the Dutchman overtook
Austria’s Lucas Auer, (Mücke Motorsport), who is tied for points
with Verstappen. Italian Antonio Fuoco, (Prema Powerteam), a Ferrari
Driver Academy protégé, holds fifth place and is the third rookie
among the five top-placed drivers. All the three rookies are going to
contest their first races at the Norisring while Blomqvist and Auer
already know the circuit located in the heart of Nuremberg.
Felix
Rosenqvist, (Mücke Motorsport): “The Norisring layout looks easy
but racing here is anything but a walk in the park. Furthermore, the
racing is that close - particularly in the qualifying sessions -,
that the slightest mistake can cost you numerous positions. On the
positive side we’ve got the fact that the Norisring offers
overtaking opportunities. I’ve got fond memories of this venue as
the 2013 race meeting went really well, for me. In the years before I
had my problems with the track but last year I realised that
consistent work can pay off and helps you to even deliver at tracks
that you believed to not suit you. My goal for the coming weekend:
wins and many points to reduce my deficit in the championship”.
Photos: FIA F3 Euro Series
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário