James Wharton didn’t have one of his best weekends in Zandvoort. Challenging weather in Race 1 caused him to spin at Turn 3, losing his pole position advantage. In Race 2, despite another strong qualifying, an early contact forced him to make a strong comeback, finishing P14.
The Dutch Circuit of Zandvoort hosted the third round of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine. The weather was wet until Saturday and dry on Sunday, with high winds throughout.
James Wharton had a decent start to the weekend, finishing P2 and P5 in the first and second Collective Tests, respectively. On Saturday, he set the best overall time and secured his second pole position of the season.
In Race 1, the slippery banking of Turn 3 caused James to spin, likely costing him the victory. During the opening lap of Race 2, he was involved in a collision that forced him to pit. With a Safety Car bunching up the field and thanks to the strong pace shown throughout the weekend, James was able to recover up to P14.
«It was another weekend full of opportunities. We had the fastest car in any condition, from Thursday’s wet practice to Saturday’s qualifying. Despite our speed, we have no results to show for it. We need to keep working hard and fix the small issues to put together a complete weekend. With our pace, we should be fighting for the championship. We need to stay focused and prepare for Hungary to finally kickstart our season. We’ve had many chances already, but it feels like we haven’t even taken off».
This race provided James Wharton with valuable lessons to help him improve for upcoming championship races. The next event will take place from June 21st to 23rd at the Hungaroring Circuit.