PREMA Racing went back to the podium today at Zandvoort, with Dennis Hauger cruising to third place in race 1. Starting from P4 of the reverse grid, the Red Bull Junior driver made a thrilling move to take P3 and then held the same spot as the race became processional. A late safety car and the subsequent one-lap shootout didn't stop the Norwegian rookie from achieving his fourth podium of the year.
Starting from the back following a spin in yesterday's qualifying session, Jehan Daruvala went from P17 to P16 with a clean overtake. The lack of further passing opportunities and the DRS trains that soon formed prevented the 23-year-old Indian from making up more ground and advancing through the field.
The team will have another chance tomorrow in the Feature Race.
#1 - Dennis Hauger
"It's definitely nice to be on the podium and get a bit of a rhythm again. It's been a while, since Baku, and it was great to spray some champagne. We were working really hard to get back to that rhythm again, and it's nice to see all the hard work pay off. We're still not quite where we want to be in terms of pace, it was enough to hold on, but we want to be there and fight to go forward. We have to look at today and I think it was a step in the right direction. We just have to keep working from there."
#2 - Jehan Daruvala
"Obviously not an easy race starting from P17, and it was pretty difficult to overtake. Even if the result is not good, I'm quite pleased that we had good pace. Yesterday in qualifying, I didn't drive too well, but today I showed that we got some pace even towards the end of the race. I'm confident we have made a step, and the pace was good. From that side, it feels fine. It's going to be difficult again tomorrow, but as soon as we keep learning and finding what's missing, I'm sure that we should be able to fight at the front again at Monza."