Damage on the front right-wing

Last week, there was a real home grand prix at the UT sports complex. Despite it being another true home race, the race took place on a different circuit, much to the disappointment of our tactical gentlemen within the team due to the blinding lights.

This week, the combination of Alpine and Williams co-drivers managed to qualify in the 2nd position, allowing them to go head-to-head with the absolute crowd favorite on Saturday, Harambee Ferradrie. The stands slowly filled up, drums were brought out, voices were warmed up, but above all, the audience was treated to some great entertainment during the warm-up laps of both teams.

The real loyal fans immediately noticed something was amiss. Right from the start, there was serious damage to the right front wing. It turned out there was a logistical error, which meant the right front wing, along with the spare, remained in the Far East. Fortunately, Mr. Suzuki did take the right transport to provide us with strong support on the left front wing, while Mr. Oei got the chance to take the vacant seat, allowing him to repair the right front wing at the last minute.

At 15:00:00, it was finally time, both teams were back in the starting position, with our main driver, Mr. HEIN, shrewdly playing the coin toss to choose the side with the least disadvantage from the lights. Just a bit after 15:00:00, the lights went out, and the 3rd grand prix of the season began.

As has been the case for several seasons, truly strong teams are not deterred by minor car adjustments; instead, they see opportunities. However, it became evident in the first sector that there were still room for improvements, prompting the team to quickly adjust the car. And with positive results! In Sector 2, mirrors were not even necessary to see where Gemini had gone until they came quite close in the final part of this sector, but not close enough to attempt an overtake.

Unfortunately, the slipstream proved to be good enough to get within the 1-second limit, triggering the DRS, and an immediate fastest lap was set. To level the score, it was decided to strip the car of all downforce and maximize speed on the straight sections, resulting in a comfortable lead. However, as any F1 enthusiast can foresee, a race is not just about straight sections. The low downforce eventually led to a close inspection of the gravel trap, allowing the 1st position to be reclaimed, and the checkered flag was finally waved.

Team boss Mr. Van Midden, however, was not content with just this one point and was confident and determined to add more pintenmannetjes in the canteen, which subsequently resulted in driving under the influence, with all the associated damage.

Next week, the logistics team will travel to Delden for a night race on the schedule.