RACE 1 / ROUND 4
Ever-improving Fuoco scores second place in Feature RaceThe feature race held at the Hungaroring on Saturday provided the Trident team with more positive confirmations regarding the greatly productive work being carried on together with FDA driver Antonio Fuoco. The Italian youngster was once again really competitive and delivered a well-deserved second place. The podium finish is also vital in terms of the championship. Antonio has trimmed his gap between himself and the other two championship contenders. The opening race of the GP3 Series weekend hasn’t been really exciting for the team’s three other drivers. After a pretty uneventful run, Artur Janosz, Sandy Stuvik and Giuliano Alesi finished in 14th, 18th and 19th place respectively. The Hungarian venue is not famous for its passing opportunities, and despite their speed, none of the three Trident drivers had a real chance to recover. FUOCO: “Today’s one has been a really positive race. I had a great start and I quickly tried to go by Parry, who then got me wide at the first corner and prevented me from passing him. The pace was good throughout the whole race and we experienced no tire degradation whatsoever. Although no overtakes were made, we are really satisfied for this second place, especially in terms of the championship standings. We have to focus on tomorrow’s sprint race to bring home as many points as possible.”JANOSZ: “The start has been pretty good and the first few corners too. Unfortunately I was punted by another car in turn 4 and lost some position. Then the race unfolded in an uneventful fashion. Every time I managed to get close to the cars I had in front, the characteristics of the track were preventing me from trying a move.”
ALESI: “All in all, today’s race didn’t end up bad. The start has been good, but unfortunately I was involved in a contact that cost me all the positions I had gained at the first corner. From that point on, there weren’t many chances to pass. I had a pretty balanced race until the finish.”STUVIK: “Today’s race hasn’t really been dynamic, it was more processional. After the second lap, overtaking became really difficult, it’s a well-known feature of the Hungaroring. Unfortunately, we couldn’t gain many positions but the car has lots of potential. We just need more luck in qualifying”.
RACE 2 / ROUND 4
A TOUGH SPRINT RACE FOR TEAM TRIDENTAfter a brilliant second place in race 1, the goal for Antonio Fuoco was to score as many points as possible in the second one to recover more valuable ground in the hunt for first place in standings. Unfortunately, Antonio was blocked in turn 1 and lost positions. From that point on, he was part of a long line of cars that didn’t allow him to recover. His three team-mates suffered the same fate as they were prevented from making up ground. The passing issues and the lack of tire degradation made any recovery attempt impossible.Fuoco: “At the start I got bottled up in turn 1 and I lost four position there. Then during the race the pace was really good, but passing is so hard on this track. We must now focus on the next race, trying to find out how to improve even further for the German round of the series.”
Janosz: “Once again our race wasn’t particular quick-paced or dynamic. At the start I gained some spots but right after the first corner we got into a safety-car condition. At the re-start I was 12th and I followed a group of cars until the checkered flag. The pace was pretty good, and even quicker than the contenders I had in front but there was nothing I could do.”
Alesi: “Today’s sprint race turned out to be pretty positive as I managed to recover some positions at the start. I kept a good pace and maximum concentration trying to catch the drivers I had in front. Unfortunately, as said before the nature of this circuit makes passing pretty difficult.”
Stuvik: “Today’s sprint race unfolded in a really similar fashion to yesterday’s feature. I lost some spots after the Safety Car and from that point on it was a calm and uneventful situation. It’s a pity because we know we have a car capable of fighting for podium finishes. The only goal for Hockenheim is to be quick from qualifying and I will focus all my energy on that task.”
