Author Topic: Stoffel Vandoorne repays the hard work of the entire team with a P2 in New York  (Read 1673 times)

Offline fasteddy

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Stoffel Vandoorne:

„Second place is a great result. All in all, the whole weekend here in New York City went well for us in terms of results, with a P4 yesterday and P2 today. Especially after what happened yesterday with that big crash in the first race. The team had to change the chassis and rebuild a full new car overnight - but they gave me a good one again today. Many thanks to the whole team for their efforts - this result is for them. It’s the ninth time in a row I’ve finished in the points. I’ve always been consistent, but last season it was harder to show that with the more random qualifying format. This year it’s possible to excel a bit more. So far, we’ve been on a very good run, but the competition is super strong. It all comes down to small details, and we’ve got to keep on top of them.“
Nyck de Vries:

„We had a great package today, although we struggled a bit with the balance, we made good use of our tools in the car and managed to keep on top of it, so I felt quite competitive. The fight was good, though obviously I am disappointed it didn’t play out. That bump in the track surface is quite dangerous, and it took me by surprise - I lost control of the car, and that was it. After that, my steering was bent and I couldn’t keep up as easily as before. Apart from that, I think it was a well-executed race from the team and the pace was strong. Still, I’m disappointed that I couldn't score more points for the team, which is definitely what they deserved.“
Ian James, Team Principal:

„The tale of our day today really started yesterday. After the chaotic end to race 1, in which Stoffel’s car got severely damaged, the team faced a massive amount of work to build a new chassis and install the other Power Unit. However, by working right up to curfew, to prepare for scrutineering at 05:30 this morning, they ensured that we could make the start of FP3. This morning, the team was offered the next challenge when Nyck hit the wall during free practice and we had to change multiple elements on the car, including the battery, in the tight gap between FP3 and qualifying. This was further compounded by having to dismantle part of Stoffel’s car to replace a faulty wiring loom. So 2.5 rebuilds in just over 12 hours... a phenomenal achievement!

Their hard work paid off later in qualifying. Both Nyck and Stoffel managed to advance through to the quarter final stages, ultimately clinching P5 and P7 on the grid. From there, we were in a solid position to start the race and fight our way to the front with both cars. At a certain stage of the race, both Stoffel and Nyck seemed to be able to finish on the podium. Unfortunately, Nyck got caught out when he hit a manhole cover while trying to overtake a competitor - which saw him fall back, although still finishing seventh. Stoffel had a smoother race and climbed his way up to a well-deserved P2 - a podium finish that must have felt great for him. I know it did for the team!

The most important thing for us, flying home from New York City, is that we have accumulated good points for the championship fight. We will now keep the momentum and hit London and Seoul with the same mindset and determination as we have approached the past events this year. There are only 4 more races to go in this World Championship season, and we’ve got one hell of a fight ahead of us.“