Richard Verschoor unrewared at Hungaroring
TeamNL driver Richard Verschoors’ efforts during the two FIA F3 Championship races at the Hungaroring were unrewarded last weekend. In the first race Verschoor was on track for a point-scoring finish when a technical issue, two laps before the end of the race, made him end the race prematurely. With a DNF after his name after the first race he had no chance at a decent position in the second race. The 18 year old Dutch driver was able to overtake ten other competitors but that didn’t bring him much. Verschoor ends the first half of the season empty handed but he is eagerly awaiting the races after the summer break at Spa and Monza.
Richard Verschoor is fast and at times very fast during the races but his lack of speed during qualification causes him to score little points this season. This also happened at the Hungaroring this weekend.
“It already started in free practice. Partly that was caused because we had another strategy. We started free practice on the hard tyre because we wanted to save tyres for the qualification. That made it look relatively poor in free practice compared to the other competitors,” said Verschoor.
Lack of speed
But that strategy didn’t seem to work. Verschoor is unable to find the reason for his lack of speed. “The car just isn’t fast enough. I am eight tenths of a second slower then the top competitors but I don’t know where to find that time in my driving. Together with the team we have to work hard to find the cause of that gap and try to solve that. It’s unfortunate I have to start in the back of the field every time. The position on the starting grid is crucial for the rest of the weekend.”
Despite his 16th place on the grid, Verschoor seemed to be able to score points in the first race. The Hungaroring is a track where overtaking is almost impossible but the MP Motorsport driver was able to overtake several drivers and was on course for a top ten finish. “The race went well, I think I was able to to finish well within the top ten. I was driving in twelfth position when I had to give up. But I think a tenth of ninth position was possible. The two cars in front of me had very worn tyres so I should be able to overtake them in the remainder of the race. That kind of position was a very good starting position for the second race.”
Hydraulic failure
But the hydraulic pump of Verschoor’ car stopped working two laps before the end of the race. “I lost all power and wasn’t able to change gears anymore. Because of that I had to start in twenty seventh position for the second race. I am happy with my pace during the race and I was able to overtake ten other drivers. It is pretty frustrating I have to start from the back of the field every time. This is not what the team and I want.”
It is summer break now in FIA Formula 3. In August the championship returns in Spa and one week later in Monza Italy. “Now it’s time for a short holiday. During this break I will train a lot so I will able to fight again in the second half of the championship.”