The Paul Ricard racetrack delivered a special one-two for the Iron Lynx crews competing in the Pro class in the second round of the Endurance Cup of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS. It was an unexpected result, hoped for after the morning’s pole position, but achieved by the drivers and team at the end of an intense and perfect six hours. The drivers spoke to us directly from the French podium.
Antonio Fuoco: “It was an amazing race. My teammates and I managed the pace very well. We had a good pace today, and an outstanding mechanics team during the pit stops. I am delighted because we came away with maximum points after starting from pole position. Punctures were a problem in the race, and to avoid them, we tried to keep away from the kerbs as much as possible. We succeeded”.
Davide Rigon: “I am delighted about this result. We knew we would struggle at the start of the race because we chose used tyres, so we could count on new ones at the end of the race. We had assumed, among various scenarios, the possibility of a Safety Car in the last hour and wanted to give Antonio fresh sets of tyres. My stint was excellent. The car was very well balanced, and I thank the technicians and engineers at Ferrari and Iron Lynx for that. For me, it is payback after the accident at Spa-Francorchamps, and to stand on the podium’s top step after such an intense race and against so many strong opponents is an immense joy. Now let’s think about preparing Le Mans and then the Spa event as best we can”.
Daniel Serra: “This is my first win in the GT World Challenge, and I am thrilled with the result. It’s true that I have only had a few races in this series, but the first victory always has a special flavour. The team did an excellent job in terms of strategy and pit stops, as always. We made no mistakes, and both Davide and Antonio were very fast. It was an honour for me to share the cockpit with them. Let’s hope this bodes well for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Spa”.
Miguel Molina: “What I did at Gounon was one of the most wonderful and important overtakes of my career. I pushed from the first to the last lap to try to score valuable points. This morning we struggled a bit in qualifying, but we modified the car for the race, and I think the work paid off as the last two stints showed. The one-two is an excellent result for Ferrari and Iron Lynx”.
James Calado: “I can’t believe we managed to finish second in this race. I had a puncture which caused me to spin at the end of my second stint. I had struggled a bit earlier, especially comparing my pace with our teammates, but we are delighted to take away this result for the team. I am also happy because this is my first podium in this series”.
Nicklas Nielsen: “I am pleased with this result! At one point in the race, our podium hopes were over, especially after James’ puncture. However, we were very good at coming back, and Miguel made an amazing overtaking move to take second place from the Mercedes. We can feel satisfied and happy, both for the team and for this Ferrari one-two”.
Michelle Gatting: “I think we needed to finish on the podium this year. Indeed, the pace was always good in every race, but we always had a bit of bad luck, whereas today, we did well. I think we all did a fantastic job and were also lucky to gain another position at the end. We have proved to ourselves that we can be on the podium. Now we want to continue to do it in the coming races”.
Andrea Bertolini: “The podium is a good result, but we could have hoped for more. I received a drive-through in the penultimate stint that compromised the entire race. We lost the lead and could not capitalise on the problem experienced by the McLaren. We could have won today. They are valuable points for the championship. Louis and Stefano did a great job, so we aim to do well at Zandvoort and Spa, the most important race”.
Louis Machiels: “It was a good weekend although difficult, especially in the first stint in the race, because I struggled a lot with the car and tyres. We won points, and that is what counts. Unfortunately, the drive-through affected the final result, but we are already looking forward to making up for it at Zandvoort”.
Stefano Costantini: “I am happy with the result, although there is some disappointment because we were very competitive. The drive-through obviously ruined everything, and this was compounded by the Safety Car at the end. We could have won without the drive-through, but I am still happy because we scored valuable points”.