Qualifying
Victor took his 3rd pole position of the season and the second in a row after Spielberg. Despite being less than a tenth off the front row, Théo took 8th place in a historically close qualifying session.
Sprint race
The sprint race was curtailed due to rain and it was decided that they would have a rolling start after two formation laps.
Victor gained a place on the first lap and put up a good fight, but didn’t take any ill-considered risks in the tricky conditions.
Théo waited before making the most of his package to move up from 3rd to 2nd after the halfway mark of the race. Unfortunately, by then the gap to the leader was too big, so he smartly opted to set the fastest lap of the race instead.
Feature race
Victor lost a position at the start, which he instantly recovered. He then put in a masterful drive to break away at the head of the race.
Penalized by a 5-second penalty when a neutralization regrouped the pack, Victor found the resources to outrun 2nd place by almost 6 seconds to secure the victory.
Starting 8th, Théo was in 11th on the first lap but fought his way back up to 3rd place by the time the checkered flag waved.
THEO POURCHAIRE
“This championship is so demanding that it prepares you for anything! With 10 drivers within 2 tenths, it was perhaps the most hotly contested qualifying of the year, and I had to settle for 8th despite being 75 thousandths off the front row!
At the start of the sprint race, visibility was poor, and it took me too long to overtake Isack, and by then Vesti had already pulled out a big gap. So, I did my utmost to set the fastest lap to score one more point and limit the loss to Vesti as much as I possible could.
On Sunday, I lost a few places, but I didn’t panic because I knew that we were fast in race trim and that I shouldn’t rush things. I climbed back up the order and, after the pit stops, we got a little boost to move up to 3rd place. Maloney defended well and it was important to end a good weekend with this double podium, which does a world of good for the team in both championships.”
VICTOR MARTINS
“It’s a great feeling! This first victory, at last, and the feeling that nothing could touch us. The team prepared a super-efficient and enjoyable car from the first lap, and for qualifying I just had to make sure I put in a clean lap.
We always knew we were fast in qualifying and in the race, but there was often a minor glitch that came along and prevented us from getting the best possible result on Sunday.
Here, the car was great, as were the tires, and the rain could have been a spoilsport, as could my 5-second penalty, even though I didn’t think I deserved it. But my team motivated me, we built up the gap lap by lap, we didn’t make any mistakes and I hope this victory will be followed by many others.”
SEBASTIEN PHILIPPE
“The ball sometimes fell on the wrong side of the net, but we made a winning comeback at Silverstone and that’s a just reward.
I’m convinced we’re on the right track. Both our drivers have been fast from the first session of the year, and we need to continue on the same path without letting ourselves become troubled by mistakes or bad luck, as these are integral in such a complex championship.
Victor’s first success is richly deserved after a 2nd consecutive pole position and after having to annihilate the effect of a 5-second penalty by building up a considerable gap on track. With the fastest lap, it’s the first hat trick of 2023! It’s also the second highest points total of the season and it puts ART Grand Prix back in the running for the teams championship.
Théo also had a near-perfect weekend, with a podium finish and fastest lap in the sprint race, followed by a fine comeback the next day. He’s back in the title race.”
Copyright: Dutch Photo Agency
