Silverstone, one of the fastest and most technical circuits, which hosted the fifth round of the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli championship, could not fail to provide closely-fought thrills and excitement. And that’s the way it turned out. Doriane Pin and Franz Engstler took the respective wins in the Trofeo Pirelli and Coppa Shell, confirming their great current form.
Trofeo Pirelli
Doriane Pin, winner of the Trofeo Pirelli: “I had a great race, the start was good, and I was very close to John Wartique, but then I managed to create a gap and manage the tyres well. I am very happy with this win and for the fact that it came at Silverstone, a track I love, where you can breathe in the special atmosphere. The season is going really well, so I would like to try and keep it up.”
John Wartique, runner-up of the Trofeo Pirelli: “I am happy with the result, but obviously I would have been happier if I had taken the win. I started from third place and in the first few moments I was close to Doriane Pin, but she was faster than me and there was nothing I could do about it. I ran my race, managing the lead over Nurmi who was third.”
Luka Nurmi, third place in the Trofeo Pirelli: “I am not very happy because I dropped a position. I had some problems with the set-up and I didn't get off to a good start. I hope to do better tomorrow in Race 2. I like Silverstone, as I like all fast circuits.”
Trofeo Pirelli Am
Ange Barde, winner of Trofeo Pirelli Am: “The race was incredible, because Silverstone is fantastic. This is my fifth time on this track, and on every occasion in which I have taken part I have won. I'm very happy to have done it again this time, getting a great result for the championship. The race? The last 4-5 laps were tricky, considering that it was very hot inside the cockpit.”
Jack Brown, runner up in Trofeo Pirelli Am: “Silverstone is my home circuit, it is always a pleasure to race here. I couldn't hold on to first position though, I didn't make any progress; it was a very difficult race for me.”
Nicolò Rosi, third place in Trofeo Pirelli Am: “I am very happy as it was a race I really enjoyed. The challenges with Marco (Pulcini, ed) are always great fun: close but always very sporting confrontations. Then the circuit is wonderful, really fast, epic. Everything was amazing. I can't wait for Race 2.”
Coppa Shell
Franz Engstler, winner of the Coppa Shell: “It was a very demanding race, also because it was my first time at Silverstone. At the start I was unable to overtake, I stayed in second position and a nice battle got underway with Sartingen, always very sporting, who didn't give me any chance of overtaking. I tried every way, from the outside, from the inside, until after a few laps Sartingen made a mistake at turn four and I managed to get past. In the second part of the race I had to try to manage the tyres. I am pleased. Thanks to the team who gave me a perfect car. “
Axel Sartingen, runner-up in the Coppa Shell: “Second is the first loser, they usually say, but then again I had very tough, good opponents. Unfortunately I lost the lead and found myself behind Manuela Gostner. I tried to attack her on more than one occasion and only managed to overtake her on the last lap. I had fun and I think it was also a great show for the spectators with lots of battles and no accidents.”
Roman Ziemian, third place in the Coppa Shell: “I wasn’t lucky in qualifying. I wasn't focused properly and during my best lap I made a mistake and didn't respect the track limits, which is why they cancelled my time and I lost the pole position. I was really demoralised as I had to start from sixth position. In the race I got stuck behind two cars, before managing to pass them and finish in third place. I am pleased with the result.”
Coppa Shell Am
Alexander Nussbaumer, winner of Coppa Shell Am: “It was an incident-free race with no Safety Car entries. All of us drivers fought hard, but always with clean battles. My qualifying went well. The race was tough with several overtaking moves. I was lucky to arrive first across the finish line. I am happy with the result and proud of the work done by my team.”
Christian Herdt-Wipper, runner-up in Coppa Shell Am: “It was a good race, one of those where you have to keep an eye on your opponents in the rear-view mirror. A great battle, hard but fair from start to finish - that's how a race should be. I am really satisfied and happy. Even with Alexander Nussbaumer it was a thrilling and tightly-fought battle. We finished very close and had a lot of fun.”
Martinus Richter, third place in Coppa Shell Am: “The start was very tricky because there was an accident right at the first bend and I had to move to the left to avoid it and ended up on the grass for a few metres. From that moment on, I found myself behind Simmerson without being able to overtake him and was therefore stuck behind him for quite some time. In the end, after the collision between Simmerson and Olander, I managed to climb up to third place.”