It’s been a really positive day for the AVF by Adrián Vallés team at the Nürburgring. The Spanish squad, together with driver Alfonso Celis Jr, really flexed their muscles at the German venue, capping a spectacular recovery from the 8th place on the grid with a fourth place overall and a rookie podium. For Celis it was the second straight points finish and that came despite a first-lap spin on rain tires. Dutch female racer Beitske Visser, who started on wet weather tires too, was hit by another car at the first corner. Following to the contact, the anti-stall system of her car came on costing here valuable time. Plus, the ensuing safety-car condition caught her while she was entering the pits, leading to another pit-stop later in the race.
Alfonso Celis Jr. (#15) Qualifying 2: P16 1’42”059 – Race 2: P4 +11”016
“I didn’t put together a perfect lap in qualifying and it ended up with a really negative result. I had a great start with rain tires though. Even though we had decided to go with slick ones, I think we took the right decision. As soon as the pit window opened, we decided to go for a tire change because the track was getting dry. As a result, we gained a lot of positions. Then, even when the rain came back, we stayed quick all the way to the finish”.
Beitske Visser (#16) Qualifying 2: P15 1’42”047 – Race 2: P15 +51”188
“In qualifying we were simply too slow. Then we started the race well with the rain tires although they turned out to be a wrong choice because the track improved quickly. In addition to that, I was hit from behind at the start and the anti-stall system came on, costing me more valuable time. If we didn’t have to go for a second pit-stop, we would have probably been back to the points zone”.
The next round for the Formula Renault 3.5 series will be on the 26th and 27th of September at Le Mans