Pressiteade
Havinghad time to digest and reflect on the event, what is the team’s thoughts on theBelgian Grand Prix?
Itwas a shame not to be able to hold the race, especially for the fans in attendanceat the track. Huge credit has to be paid to them for their patience and keepingspirits high in the wet all afternoon, but it was just not possible to run inthose conditions.
Fromthe team’s side, we started the weekend well and showed competitive pace in thedry on Friday, however, our car seemed to struggle as soon as we put the Intermediatetyres on and we had a tricky qualifying that didn’t put us in the best positionfor the race.
Ourqualifying result was neither a reflection of the potential of the car nor thedrivers’ skills in the wet, and work is on-going at the factory to understandour pace deficit in the wet and more specifically on the Intermediates tyres.This is even more relevant as nowadays the Extreme Wet tyre only gets used whenthere is standing water causing aquaplaning, and more often than not, thesession gets red flagged in such a case.
Howexciting is it to try out a new circuit like Zandvoort?
It’snice to visit a historical circuit like Zandvoort, where Formula 1 hasn’t racedfor a number of years. Taking on a new circuit is always a challenge,especially one that has some banked corners with unusual trajectories, andFernando and Esteban have done extensive preparation in the simulator withtheir engineers ahead of this weekend. The track proximity to the seaside meansit’s windy and gusty, which will be an additional challenge for the drivers.Hopefully this weekend we can put on a good show for the fans!
Newterritory
Afterthe washout in Spa, Esteban Ocon is looking forward to taking on Zandvoort onthe Dutch coast. It’s a circuit the Frenchman knows having raced there in DTMin 2016 as he aims to continue his points scoring run.
Howfrustrating was it to not race in Spa?
Itwas disappointing not to race at Spa at the weekend. Safety is the mostimportant thing and with the rain it just wasn’t possible. During the lapsunder the Safety Car, visibility was really poor, so much so, you couldn’t evensee the car in front. I’d like to again thank all the fans around the circuitwho were very loyal to us drivers all afternoon and waited to see some action.Hopefully the weather is better this weekend and we can go racing properly thistime! On our side, with the running we did, we showed some competitive pace inthe dry on Friday. There’s always more to learn and we have things to furtherunderstand, which we’ll be putting into practice this weekend.
Havingraced there before, what is Zandvoort like to drive?
It’sa really cool circuit and one I’ve enjoyed racing at before. I’ve raced therein DTM in 2016 and it’s a great track with a really nice flow to it. Thecorners come quite quickly and it’s a busy lap at the wheel. The two bankedcorners are very fun, so tackling them in a Formula 1 car is something I lookforward to. Overtaking might be challenging, but who knows until we’ve given ita go. Our target remains the same. We want to maintain our points run in orderto consolidate fifth in the championship.
Dutchdebut
FernandoAlonso heads to Zandvoort and its 4.259km seaside circuit for his first everFormula 1 race in the Netherlands. The Spaniard is fresh from a frustratingweekend in Belgium that saw little to no action on Sunday due to the constantrainfall around Spa-Francorchamps.
Spa-Francorchampswas tricky with rainy conditions throughout the weekend, what did you take awayfrom it?
Wellit was disappointing not to race on Sunday, but I think it would have been toodangerous given how wet it was. I think we looked quite strong in the dryconditions, so it was a shame that rain was forecast all weekend. We took lots of data from the Friday and Saturdaythat can help us later this season, but, in the end, it wasn’t the weekend anyof us wanted. Let’s hope we can put on a proper show for the fans in Zandvoort.
You’venever raced in Netherlands before in Formula 1, are you looking forward to it?
Zandvoortwill be interesting for everyone with very few of us having raced on thecircuit before. It’ll be a unique challenge and I’m sure the atmosphere will begood. We’re not sure how we will fare this weekend but racing on a new circuitis not something out of the ordinary in Formula 1, especially in these recenttimes. We’ve looked at a lot of simulation data and I was back at Enstone thisweek, so I feel as prepared as possible.
Doyou have a part of the circuit you’re most excited about racing on?
Iwill have a better answer for this after Friday, but I would say the banking atthe end of the lap will be fun. It’s not like any other corner in Formula 1. Ihave concerns that overtaking will be difficult in Zandvoort but let’s seeafter we’ve done some running. Ultimately, I think your starting grid positionwill be very important.
AlpineAcademy
Backto back race weekends for Martins and Collet as Formula 3 heads to Zandvoort
AlpineAcademy drivers Victor Martins and Caio Collet return for round six of the FIAFormula 3 Championship joining Formula 1 at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.
Aftera rain-soaked Spa-Francorchamps, the MP Motorsport duo are looking to build ona decent set of results that saw them leave Belgium with a combined 52 points.The final race of the weekend saw Victor claim his fourth podium of the season,with Caio scoring a weekend best fourth place.
Intheir most recent appearance at Zandvoort, Victor and Caio claimed a poleposition and race win each in the 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup Championship.
Withonly two rounds of the championship left, Victor sits fourth on 96 points andCaio eighth with 63.
VictorMartins: “Spa was really good for us and we showedgreat pace all weekend. I felt really comfortable with the car in the wet andmaximised the potential all week. For Zandvoort I want to keep the momentum andpositivity. I have raced at Zandvoort before in Formula Renault, so I thinkthat will help me with a strong start on Friday. There is no reason why wecan’t perform like we did in Spa again this weekend.”
CaioCollet: “We got back to fighting in the top threeand five at Spa which was pretty good for the team and I. For Zandvoort, we’llkeep pushing like we did in Spa and try to improve and win some races. Again,if we’re in and around the top five in qualifying, we can see if we can push onfor podiums and wins. It would be nice to have a good result in Zandvoort,especially for the team, as it’s their home race.”
Tyres:
Hard,C1 (White)
Esteban – 2
Fernando - 2
Medium,C2 (Yellow)
Esteban – 3
Fernando - 3
Soft,C3 (Red)
Esteban– 8
Fernando– 8
Renault-powered cars in The Netherlands
Starts - 28
Wins - 1
Podiums - 4
Pole Positions - 4
Fastest Laps - 1
Total points - 29
