FIA F4 CEZ 2024 | Slovakia Ring | Round 3
Back on the podium in front of Hungarian fans!
Strong basement
Before the weekend, the team again had the opportunity to complete test runs on the Slovakian track. Very valuable data and experience was gathered during the laps.
Among the fastest
After the free practice sessions, it was clear to see that we were at the front of the field. Of course, we didn't know how much others had in reserve, but we were aware that we hadn't yet shown the whites of our teeth either, so we turned to Friday's final event with confidence.
Qualifying
The conditions were not ideal and we fell short of our expectations, but the team could not be sad, as we were starting from the 6th grid position for Saturday's race 1.
Where we belong - Race 1
The work didn't end when the Friday programme closed. The team worked hard throughout the evening to find the missing squadrons on the course for Saturday's race. Starting from 6th place, they managed to build good momentum and Jonathan took advantage of other people's mistakes to drive steadily until the safety car phase. After the restart, the grip dropped and it was a very competitive last couple of laps, but a brilliant drive, albeit by only 125 thousandths of a second, saw him claim the team's first podium of the year.
Battles fought - Race 2
Saturday's race finish meant that Sunday's first race started from 3rd position. After a strong start, Jonathan attacked the front runner for several laps and fought a fierce battle with him throughout the race until the end. Unfortunately, things didn't go well for us in the last third of the race, and we had to settle for a 5th place this time.
Crazy twists - Race 3
It all happened in the final race on Sunday. After the start, Jonathan dropped all the way to the last places as a competitor hit him in the braking lane. There were other incidents on the track afterwards, resulting in a red flag. What followed is hard to describe in words. In his strongest performance of the season, Jonathan battled his way to the front lap after lap and once again made his way to the podium. What's more, in the second half of the race he was faster than any of his rivals on the track.
"We started from 3rd place and had high expectations, but we had an accident and dropped to last place. After the red flag we had the best pace and I think that if it wasn't for the crash we would have definitely been in contention for the race win. In any case, there are still a lot of positives to take from this weekend and it's good to go into the summer break where we can continue to work on shaving the last few hundredths off the front of the field."
To be continued in Most at 2nd to 4th of July!
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