Ayumu Iwasa struggled with pace throughout the course of the FIA Formula 2 weekend in Baku and as a result, came home with no points.
Iwasa went into this weekend’s round leading the drivers’ standings but has since dropped to third with ART’s Théo Pourchaire taking the top spot.
‘We were missing some speed all weekend, we didn’t get a second push lap in Qualifying, but even if we did I don’t think we would’ve been at the front. The car issue on Saturday was frustrating and starting from P17 today we decided to do the alternate strategy.”
“Unfortunately, I picked up a five-second penalty under Virtual Safety Car, which cost us a good chance of points. The pit stop was and the strategy were both really good, so there are some positives to take but we will look to find more pace at the next round.”
Charles Pic, Team Owner of DAMS remained positive despite a tough weekend for the team and both drivers. He discussed the Qualifying issues which dropped Iwasa to P17 in some more detail.
“We struggled with the timing in Qualifying and both drivers missed out on their final push laps which made things difficult for the whole weekend. Ayumu had some traffic but I don’t think we had the pace to fight for the top positions.”
DAMS seemingly had exceptional pace in the previous rounds of the season so far with both Iwasa and his team mate, Arthur Leclerc, but a combination of incidents and pace in Baku have led to the team leaving without points from both drivers.
“After a tough start, Ayumu had a good stint on the medium but unfortunately he made a mistake under the Virtual Safety Car and the five-second penalty denied him the chance of challenging for the top 10.”
“Overall, it’s been a frustrating weekend, but it’s a long season and we will continue to work hard to get back to the front of the pack.”
Image: Dutch Photo Agency
