GP3 Silverstone Post Race 1 Press Conference

Kirchhöfer, Bernstorff & Parry discuss Race 1

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the GP3 Press Conference for Race 1 in Silverstone. Joining us today is race winner Marvin Kirchhöfer from ART Grand Prix. In second is Emil Bernstorff from Arden International and in third is Matt Parry from Koiranen GP.

GP3 Series: Congratulations Marvin, a great win! It looked like it may be an easy win to start with but at the end it got very close…

Marvin Kirchhöfer: “It definitely wasn’t an easy race. We had a good start and good pace. I was looking in my mirrors and I could pull away from the others in the beginning so it was pretty good. As we had an issue in Red Bull Ring at the end, I was aware of that for this race as we still had a few issues with the balance so we lost quite a lot of pace and it was really difficult for me to keep the lead. At the end, it did work out and I think we had quite a nice fight. This is a better feeling to win a race with a nice fight than driving alone.”

GP3 Series: Were you at all worried about Bernstorff as he was very close to you in the final few laps?

 Marvin: “Twice he was really close and we went side-by-side into the corner. We left each other enough space so I thought that was quite nice racing. I’m happy with how the result ended but for sure maybe it’s a bit better to be alone and win the race. But I do think we need to some work on some areas and improve for tomorrow to go in the right direction.”

GP3 Series: It certainly looked like the team were very happy?

 Marvin: “I hope so yeah!”

GP3 Series: Great job today Marvin. Emil, P2 today. Fantastic drive, you really took it to Marvin in the final stages. Talk us through those final laps…

Emil Bernstorff: “Yeah I could see he was struggling a bit at the end. I was just pushing and pushing like mad to catch him. I saw him make a mistake in Turn 3 and then it got really close. It was a really good race and it was really good fun even though I didn’t quite get him. But it was a really good fight and second is still a really good result, my best of the year. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”

GP3 Series:  On one hand you fought for the lead but on the other hand you didn’t quite get it. What do you take away from today’s race?

 Emil: “It was a really good race. I had good speed. I didn’t quite get the win but we’ve always had good speed at the end of the races. It’s just here and for the lead and it was so close. It does feel a little bit sad when you’re that close to it. But still a great result for me and the team.”

GP3 Series: It shows you have the pace here, what can you do tomorrow starting from P7?

 Emil: “We’ll see, it all depends on the start as I need a good one. I can’t really say anymore on that, just need to see how the first lap goes.”

GP3 Series: Top job today Emil, thank you.  Matthew, congratulations on P3 today and your first podium, how was the race for you?

 Matthew Parry: “From the start it was really good. It was really positive as we had a great car for the first couple of laps. I tried to push to try and make a move or get close enough too. All three of us had similar pace. Basically in the last four laps, I struggled quite a lot with the tyre. It didn’t quite go fully off but I could feel it was teetering on the edge and if I carried on pushing at the pace these guys were going I would have completely shot my tyres. So I backed off a bit. It was nice to watch these guys battle. I was hoping that maybe they would make a mistake and I could capitalise on it. Overall it was a very good result for me and the team and much more positive than Austria and Barcelona. Now we need to keep this momentum and keep on pushing for the rest of the season.”

GP3 Series: How much of a difference does it make racing in front of your home crowd?

 Matthew: “Yes it’s fantastic. On the car I’ve got the BRDC Rising Star programme and Team UK. They have been a massive support to me. It’s almost a way to give something back to the people who have supported me. It’s a fantastic event. We all say that it’s great to be at Silverstone and lucky to be here with some good weather which isn’t normal. Let’s see how Race 2 goes and hopefully we can get back on that podium!”

GP3 Series: You mentioned tyres earlier; tomorrow’s race will be a bit shorter. What can we expect?

 Matthew: “It’s all about the start really. We need to focus on the start as today mine was horrendous. I was lucky enough that the guy next to me did an even worse one. So for me, that’s a big area I need to work on. If I can get a good start and keep these two guys behind me then maybe we can grab another podium which would be great.”

Aaron Rook: Autosport.com: We saw on some of the replays you were getting sideways and really fighting the car, how close were you to losing the back-end?

 Marvin: “Sometimes I was really close. I saw a really nice replay when I was on the podium and once in Turn 1 I was really close to losing it. I was on the edge and that wasn’t the only time. In the end I was a bit lucky and that’s the point we need to work on to make the car more stable and a bit safer for us.”

GP3 Series: How did it feel good to go wheel-to-wheel with the guys today?

 Marvin: “It was a great feeling. This season we are seeing a lot more overtaking as we can follow the cars easier. It was a lot different racing here compared to last season. I think there’s more for us to do in the car and I really like this, though it depends on what position you are.” Laughs.

Aaron Rook – Autosport.com: Emil: When you were side-by-side down the straight trying to pass Marvin, do you wish you had made a bolder move or was that not worth the risk?

 Emil: “There are always things you can do differently afterwards but at the time I think everything I did was as I would want it to be. Yes there are a couple of things that I can reflect on a bit but it was a good race.”


Related Motorsport Articles

84,520 articles