Last week we set off for Austria for the test day at the Red Bull Ring.
It was great to have a test day at the Red Bull Ring especially because I haven’t driven there before. We only had one day of testing so that meant driving a lot!
In total we did 100 laps, we worked on the set up together with Jos who helped me a lot also Max was there who helped me to understand the track a bit better. As we’ve seen from Formula1 he knows it pretty well. Together with the team we were able to understand the track and be fully prepared for the next round at the Red Bull Ring!
After the Red Bull Ring, it was on towards Silverstone for two days of testing. It was a great experience. I hadn't driven there before so to go there with Jos and Max, was really wonderful. We were quite lucky with the weather, despite a very cold and snowy start, it quickly cleared up and we were treated to two days of sun. The plan was to get as many laps done as possible on day one and on day two we would simulate qualifying runs and race runs.
On day one, Max' help was invaluable and we were able to collect great data because of course Max knows Silverstone inside out including all the tricks. Max and Jos also really helped with the set-up of the car which allowed us to learn a lot more about the car even though we have done a few test days by now we still learn new things every time. During day one I personally struggled to get a lap together. It's a long track with lots of high speed and low speed corners and I had a difficult time to put together a lap. So at the end of the day I really focussed on Max' data to try and understand where I went wrong. So on day two we bounced back with some good results. We got some good laps together and showed our pace. The qualifying simulation will help us a lot because during the season qualifying is key to be successful. In this kind of racing half a second can make a big difference. This is why we try to focus on these simulations and try to get the maximum out of myself and the car on new tyres. My coach Jos helps me understand how to get the maximum out of a tyre and to focus on that one lap where it all needs to happen. So day two went really well and this showed in the result as we were able to come close to the top guys.
Tomorrow I'm off to Spa Francorchamps for two more days of testing, this is of course the track where the first race is being held so this is really exciting and I look forward to getting my first experience around this magical track. I am curious to see how the car will handle itself but also how we compare to the other Benelux drivers, this is the first official test day where all the cars will be present so we will have an idea of where we stand in comparison to the others!
Comments