The German Team kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport from Berlin showed a great performance with all the possible positions on the podium again at the second season event of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship this weekend (12th to 14th of April) in Silverstone (England). Just like it was at the season opening in Monza (Italy), a driver of the racing stable from the German capital city finished on all possible position on the podium in the season runs four to six on this traditional track. The Swede Felix Rosenqvist (Dallara Mercedes) crowned his successful weekend with a second position on Sunday, after he won his first race on Saturday afternoon and finished third in the morning. The other two winners in Silverstone have been the British Harry Tincknell (Dallara Volkswagen) on Saturday and the Italian Raffaele Marciello (Dallara Mercedes) on Sunday.
The Swede made his way up to position two at the overall drivers ranking behind Marciello. On Saturday, it was his first season win and same time the second win already for the racing stable from the German capital city. At the season opening in Monza, the Mücke pilot Pascal Wehrlein from Worndorf that switched to the DTM, finished on first, second and third position.
„That has been a great performance of Felix at the second race with two great overtaking maneuvres. He fought very well, even after his little confusion after the re-start because of a Safety-Car-Phase. He already did a great job at the race in the morning“, Peter Mücke said. Felix Rosenqvist got the most points out of all the 28 drivers this weekend in Silverstone with 58 in total. On Sunday, he took the lead already after the first turn because of his great start on position three and kept it until he was thwarted by a Safety-Car-Phase on the wet track. This time he had a better re-start and was still in the lead, but then Marciello came closer and Rosenqvist could defend his position up to the second last lap. „From that point, Felix didn’t have a chance, because in contrast to Raffaele he was on track with a used up tire set“, Peter Mücke explained.
„But our other three drivers did a good job as well in view of the hard conditions at the qualifying and the starting positions at the back of the field“, the team principal of the Team kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport added. Certainly, the race on Sunday ended early for the Australian Mitchell Gilbert, the US American Michael Lewis (both first lap) and the Israeli Roy Nissany (fourth lap/all Dallara Mercedes). „The track has been still very wet and our drivers were pushed off track when they had contact with their combatants“, Peter Mücke said. „These things happen under those conditions sometimes.“
Only one week ago, the fourth Mücke-cockpit was filled by the team newbie Michael Lewis, who got an extra commendation this Saturday. The US American, last year on track at the Formula 3 Euro Series already, finished on position 13 (coming from 16) and 11 (coming from 16), without any test drives before the event in Silverstone. „And he celebrated a sensational comeback at the free practice on Friday already with the third fastest lap time“, Peter Mücke explained. „It is too bad that he couldn’t implement that at the Qualifying, but to almost finish in between the top ten coming from the back of the field is a great performance.“
The other two pilots of the racing stable from the German capital city couldn’t make their way up front in both runs on the partly wet track. Mitchell Gilbert finished on 16 in the morning, Roy Nissany on 22. At the race in the afternoon, Gilbert started on position 19 and finished on 14, Nissany finished on 18 and could make up seven positions. „Roy has been on track in Silverstone for the first time and that with rain at the qualifying. Roy and Mitchell had starting positions at the back of the field and even with the hard weather and track conditions they did a good job and they were able to gather a lot of experience anyway“, Peter Mücke explained, whose racing stable is on position two at the team ranking at the moment.
(Attached to this mail photos of Felix Rosenqvist on track and on the podium: © Alexander Trienitz)
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