Qualifying
After a mechanical issue in free practice, Tuukka Taponen made a promising start to qualifying but got caught in traffic on his final run, dropping from a provisional 8th to 29th place.
Laurens Van Hoepen and James Wharton fared slightly better, securing 19th and 20th positions respectively.
Sprint Race
Starting further down the grid, James (20th) and Laurens (23rd) struggled to make the most of their package and couldn’t climb up the order.
Tuukka, however, delivered a strong performance, gaining over ten positions to finish 18th.
Feature Race
The main race never truly got underway. After several formation laps behind the safety car and an initial red flag, the event was suspended before a single racing lap was completed. As a result, no points were awarded.
Tuukka Taponen
“Unlucky free practice and qualifying put us on the back foot, but the positive takeaway is that I managed to preserve my tyres and pull off a lot of good overtakes in the sprint race. The results don’t reflect our expectations or performance level, but we have the tools to finish the season strong.”
Sébastien Philippe – Team Principal
“It’s a frustrating weekend on two fronts – the qualifying scenario and the main race, which didn’t really happen. After three weeks of preparation, we didn’t get the opportunity to showcase our potential. We’re looking forward to racing at Budapest to validate the team’s progress before the finale at Monza.”
Copyright: Dutch Photo Agency
