Sergio’s F3 presser from Friday at Spa. Now you can go back in time (and be Monday strategists?)!

ART #AH19

In order of appearance:

1. L. Zendeli (Trident)
2. T. Pourchaire (ART Grand Prix)
3. A. Smolyar (ART Grand Prix)

SA: A question to all three of you, with the changing weather we have at Spa, did you go out on track thinking that even your first lap could be the fastest and the one that could set up your position on the grid?

LZ: For me, I felt like maybe. For sure, you make the strategy up front and you want to go on your second tyre run, do your best lap but I was aware of some drops of rain. Maybe you push a bit more on your first set and your first push. You don’t usually… you’re not 100% on it or 105%, you’re like 98% or 99%, then for your second push you will be there and for your second tyre run you will be completely there but I felt like maybe I just have to push a bit extra because maybe it will rain. Yeah.

TP: As every qualifying, I try to push every lap with both sets of tyres but for sure now it was really dark around the track and after the first push lap it was starting to rain already so yeah, I knew, I pushed a lot the first lap, then after the red flag we did another lap, it was a bit slower for me, but every lap I try to push maximum so it was fine.

AS: For me, it’s the same. It’s just that it’s a long track so tyres they don’t have unlimited grip. That’s a lot of track! Normally, for sure, your first lap here especially is the fastest one, so you really need to push your maximum but considering the rain possibility I think it’s more important to just go first and just put in a lap as quick as you can before there’s any raindrops of something like this and then that’s what happened. There was red flag. If the rain came, it would be kind of a bonus for me.

SA: A question for Lirim, let’s say someone argued you had a lucky pole because of the red flag, what would your response be?

LZ: Actually I mean, I pulled a lap being two tenths quicker than P2 and like it was six, seven tenths quicker than P5, P6, I dunno. And there was actually another chance just before it started to rain where some guys improved and I didn’t because I had a mistake in my lap. I think if someone would’ve done a better job at that time, he could’ve been pole. For sure, I was lucky at the end that the rain started so y’know I did the pole lap and then no one really had any more or so many chances to improve so there’s also luck.

PS Monza qualifying should be quite exciting!