PREMA secures podium, double top-5 finish
PREMA Racing achieved a double top-5 finish today at Spielberg as Frederik Vesti claimed a podium finish after dominating most part of the race. Vesti took off from P2 and quickly got the lead, sailing away in the distance.
The Dane started on the softest tyre compound and moved to the primes early, staying in firm control. However, a late safety car changed the complexion of the race, favoring the drivers who were on the supersofts for the second stint.
At the restart, Vesti held on to P1 but soon became a sitting duck and dropped back to P3 behind two competitors on the softer tyre. Still, he maximized the result in terms of the championship, keeping his closest rivals at bay and claiming a podium finish.
Starting from P19 for the second time this weekend, Ollie Bearman secured another points finish after ending the Sprint Race in P8. The Brit was one of the beneficiaries from the safety car, and after re-starting in the top 10, he sliced through the field to end up in P5.
Vesti was able to extend his championship lead to 20 points, while PREMA Racing retained control of the team championship.
#7 Frederik Vesti
"I'm slightly frustrated of course, after leading with more than four seconds of margin and having a dominant race. There was a late safety car from which all the drivers on the alternative strategy benefitted a lot, but we still did a very strong race. We take a lot of confidence out of this weekend and extended the championship lead as well, which is also really important. We recharge, and we'll be ready for Silverstone."
#8 Ollie Bearman
"A decent race overall, I'm quite happy with the recovery. Obviously, we didn't start where we wanted to or deserved to, and I have to apologize again for that big mistake on Friday. We did a bit of damage limitation today, with a bit of luck and a good strategy. The car was great, and we made a positive step from yesterday, so I'm really happy on that side. I know what I need to work on, and it's clear going into Silverstone that with a better Friday, we can keep scoring some good points."