First year FIA Formula 3 European Championship racers Matt Solomon and Nicolas Pohler each experienced mixed fortunes for Double R Racing at Zandvoort over the weekend, 11th/12th July, with strong showings in races one and two tempered by a double retirement in the final contest.
Beautiful weather greeted the competitors for round 19 on Saturday morning with Solomon set to begin the race from 23rd on the grid while Pohler lined-up in 30th place – although prior to the start a stall for Fabian Schiller, ahead of the green flag lap, elevated Pohler into 29th place.
Unfortunately losing ground on the opening lap, the Double R team-mates ended the first tour in 27th and 32nd respectively but they each climbed back through the order well. Avoiding a two-car tangle on the second tour, and profiting from a drive-through penalty for Jake Dennis, Solomon and Pohler gained a handful of places and by lap 10 they held 23rd and 27th position.
Pohler continued to move forward, rising into 25th just before mid-distance, and he eventually ended the race in 24th position – fending off a challenge from the aforementioned Schiller during the final few laps – due to a late pit visit for Ryan Tveter.
Solomon edged ever closer to the top 20 as race one wore on and he produced good racecraft to keep a determined Matt Rao at bay during the second half of the 23 lap contest, which he ended in 21st position
Beginning round 20 on Saturday afternoon from 19th on the grid, the Hong Kong driver raced impressively and displayed good lap times. Avoiding a tangle in the upper order on the run to the first corner, Solomon concluded lap one in 20th position and after a brief Safety Car period the race fell under caution again on lap seven following an excursion for Charles Leclerc.
Holding 19th position as a result, Solomon moved up into 18th place after seeing off Mikkel Jensen and pressured hard to try and make more gains at the expense of Michele Beretta. Sandwiched between the pair during the final third of the race, Solomon remained in 18th to the finish on lap 20.
German rookie Pohler also lost out on the opening lap, slipping a place from his starting slot of 28th, but regained the position following Leclerc’s demise. Edged back again on lap 12, Pohler remained in 29th spot to the chequered flag 1.8 seconds behind Alessio Lorandi.
Disappointingly, round 21 was a real anti-climax for Double R with both Solomon and Pohler forced to retire from the final race of the weekend. Starting in 20th position, Solomon slipped back to 25th over the first couple of laps but hopes of a recovery were dashed after an excursion at Turn Eight on the third tour which resulted in immediate retirement.
Pohler fared little better unfortunately when contact from Gustavo Menezes almost flipped the German’s Dallara-Mercedes at speed. Pohler made good progress, after slipping back from 25th to 31st at the start, and after two early Safety Car periods he was back inside the top 25. On lap 10, though, the contact from Menezes pitched Pohler out of the race – fortunately unscathed.
“The end results aren’t overly spectacular but Matt and Nici both showed some good speed and racecraft this weekend on their first visit to Zandvoort and race one, especially, was pretty good from a team point of view”, reflected Double R team principal Anthony ‘Boyo’ Hieatt.
“Qualifying, as it has been all season, is the real key and that’s the main thing we need to keep working on. Race three was a big disappointment, unbelievably bad luck for both of them, but there are definitely some positives to take away to the next round in Austria.”
Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring will host rounds 22, 23 and 24 of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship season three weeks from now, over the weekend 1st/2nd August.
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