Qualifying
100%! For the 4th time in 4 race meetings, Théo qualified in the top 3, this time in Baku. However, for the first time this season, Victor did not do the same as his teammate and took 8th place.
Sprint race
– Victor moved up to 2nd place while Théo gained 4 places at the start and on the opening lap.
– The two drivers were still in the same positions with three laps to go, during a restart after a safety car period. Unfortunately, Victor hit the wall in turn 1 after taking the outside line behind the leader. Théo’s fortunes mirrored Victor’s as he was forced to stop so as not to hit his team mate, who was already being rammed by another car.
Feature race
– Théo took 2nd place in the opening few meters of the race, then briefly into 1st on lap 3 before being losing the place soon afterwards. Victor moved up from 8th to 5th and both drivers made their pit stop at the beginning of the pit stop window.
– Théo held 2nd place for a long time before giving it up at the end. His 3rd podium in 4 weekends allows him to regain the 1st place in the championship.
– Victor crossed the line right behind his teammate, however he was disqualified from 4th due to an unintentional breach of technical regulations by the team.
Théo Pourchaire
“I am very happy with my fifth consecutive top three finish in qualifying which shows that we are now strong in all conditions. Starting high on the grid usually keeps you out of trouble and allows you to fight for the win, which I was able to do until I had problems with my rear tyres. My pit stop was perfect as we could open up a bit of a gap and warm up the tyres without being under pressure. At the end it was better not to take any chances as third place was important for me and for the team. Baku has been complicated for the last two years and I am happy to be back at the top of the championship. We need to improve on a few details and I am looking forward to the Barcelona test in ten days’ time.”
Sébastien Philippe
“We lost a few points in the dying moments of the first race as well as at the end of the second and these are lessons we can learn from because the entire team’s hard work must not be lost on guesses, which can cost us dearly. Otherwise, Theo and Victor’s pace and behaviour were very good and the team reacted well to the problems. On Sunday, we chose the right strategy and made good pit stops that reinforced two very good races. This confirms that we are fast and always capable of racing at the front. The upcoming Barcelona test will be an opportunity to strengthen our qualities and work on our weak points before the upcoming triple header.”
Copyright: Dutch Photo Agency
