Frederik Vesti reflects on his weekend in Le Castellet with consistent top-five finishes, which gives the ART Grand Prix driver a hope to showcase his full potential in the Hungarian track that he knows well.
Last time out, Vesti was one of the most skillful drivers in France, showcasing his most consistent results so far from the season, which earned him 19 points.
Despite finishing outside the top five once, he still managed to convert those positions into points to maintain the team’s position in the championship standings with the help of his more experienced teammate Theo Pourchaire.
Heading to Hungaroring for the first time with Formula 2 machinery, Vesti spoke to us before the race about how the weekend went for him: “First of all, it was a very good weekend for ART. It was obviously the French Grand Prix and having had two cars. It was an all-French podium with the teams. I think the French public were very happy.
“But from my side, obviously I started in, in P3. I finished in P3. I was hoping for more, but I think looking at the race and the circumstances of the race, we pretty much got the maximum from what we could with two cars on the podium and a good race.
“It was my most point so far this year, and that’s definitely something to look at. It just shows the improvements that have happened for me over the last two or three months.”
The rookie has significantly improved since his first top 10 finish in the round in Italy, as entering the top three is now a regular thing for him. When asked about this, Vesti explained how he has worked on his mental health and performance.
He said, “I think the biggest difference has been to jump from the prime tire to the option tire. It’s been very difficult at the beginning of F2 to sort of know where the grip is and how to make that step in just two laps, and making that happen and working with that and trying to understand that with the team certainly has made a big jump.
“I’ve also worked on other mental things and trying to be more calm before each session and being more, let’s say calm, and direct in the car, which has certainly helped me.”
For Vesti, the circuit holds good memories even though he only managed to finish seventh when he last visited Budapest back in Formula 3. However, he remains confident about aiming for good results from the experience he has earned so far.
“It’s a good track for me. I’ve done lots of races testing and plenty of things.” Stated Vesti,
“I’m not really worried about anything. I know it like really well, and I have a good run of qualifying and pace. All I need to do is to stay calm and make the most out of the tires and the car when it’s time to do so.”
Image: Dutch Photo Agency
