Red flag drama for Harry King - Best qualifying result for Nathan Schaap
Zandvoort once again provided some powerful drama - a constant ups and downs on a race weekend. Both drivers, #19 Harry King and #03 Nathan Schaap, went into the weekend well prepared. The pace of the car was there and a turbulent qualifying session was on the cards.
Harry King (#19) unfortunately had bad luck again with a red flag, similar to Oschersleben.
With the fastest (purple) sectors 1 and 2, he was slowed down by a competitor when the red flag was waved. As a result, he “only” managed 6th place on the grid for race 1 instead of the pole position he was aiming for. Q2 went more smoothly for Harry and ended with grid position 3.
Nathan Schaap (#03), on the other hand, achieved his best qualifying result: P5 for Race 1 and P11 for Race 2. That's the way it is in a team - while one is unlucky, the other is lucky.
Race 1 was therefore a clear opportunity for Harry to move up the field. However, the race was interrupted twice by full-course yellows, which made it difficult for Harry to improve. Nevertheless, he managed to secure 2nd place with an impressive overtaking maneuver in turn 8. The pace of his car was incredible.
Nathan unfortunately lost three positions at the start, but had to settle for P8 in the end. Nevertheless, his performance was worth watching as this was his best result of the year - and only in his third race weekend with this type of car. Bravo - a real talent from our Junior Academy.
In Race 2, Harry was hampered by a starting collision as early as Turn 1, resulting in serious damage to the right rear wheel due to a bent side panel. Despite this challenge, he fought admirably and secured fourth place - an impressive performance. Nathan finished tenth in a rather uneventful race, a fitting tribute to his two top 10 finishes.
In just two weeks' time, we'll be back at the Hungaroring for the fourth race weekend. Although we had to relinquish the championship lead with Harry and he is now 10 points behind, we still have a long season ahead of us.