Qualifying
Around the challenging and technical Hungaroring circuit, Victor came to grips with the track conditions during the first part of the qualifying session, securing a promising 5th place finish to thus start from 6th position in the sprint race.
After an encouraging first run, Zak was unable to extract the full potential from his tires when the car was at its fastest. He started 15th in both races.
Sprint Race
Under a cloudy sky and with the track losing about twenty degrees compared to qualifying, both Victor and Zak started on soft tires while half the pack opted for the hard tires.
Zak gained several positions in the first few laps and was aiming for the top 10 when his tires significantly degraded. He had to switch tires and finished down in 19th.
Victor maintained his 4th position from the first lap without pushing too hard, but kept a consistent pace. By saving his tires, he was able to climb into 2nd place without suffering too much from tire degradation.
Feature Race
Victor and Zak got off to perfect starts and gained several positions at a pivotal moment for gaining ground on their rivals. They finished the first lap in 1st and 9th position.
Both drivers switched to hard tires when a safety car came out on lap 7.
Victor was first, and Zak P7 when a second safety car period helped their competitors who still needed to make their pit stops.
Zak became an easy target and dropped to 14th place, while Victor capitalized on the small gap he had created to fend off his rivals. Unfortunately, he had to give up 1st place but still secured a spot on his second podium of the Hungarian weekend.
Victor Martins:
“We are generally happy to have been competitive in qualifying and both races, but a bit frustrated to have lost the victory in the feature race because of the second safety car. The soft tires were much more efficient, and I knew I couldn’t keep 1st place. Two 2nd places in Hungary are still very good. We were only 0.2 seconds off pole position, made two good starts, and had great race pace. We are definitely on the right track!”
Sébastien Philippe:
“There are many positives to take away from this weekend. The two podiums, of course, which are always good and reward the hard work, but also, and especially, the fact that we were fast in all conditions, in both qualifying and the race. Zak and Victor made two crucial starts to climb up the standings, and Victor managed the tires fantastically in both races. The safety car played against us in the Feature race, but that doesn’t take away from our confirmed return to the front over the past few weekends.”
Copyright : Formula Motorsport Limited
