ART Grand Prix’s Frederik Vesti was still somewhat satisfied with the consistent results in Silverstone, despite losing the chance to bring the podium home to Felipe Drugovich in an electrifying Feature Race battle.
The Danish driver started the weekend with a great pace in Friday’s Free Practice session in fifth, as he qualified second in Qualifying alongside fellow rookie Logan Sargeant on the front row.Â
On the other hand, Vesti wasn’t so fortunate, as the back wheels spun off the line and the pack engulfed it. His ART Teammate Theo Pourchaire, who would have been enjoying his start inside the cockpit, jumped up from fourth to second off the line by plunging into the middle.
Later in the race, Drugovich got the better of him on the last lap for fourth, as Vesti had to settle behind him in fifth, which earned him 25 points. Vesti now sits 11th in the Drivers’ standings, only four points shy of Liam Lawson, who’s currently in fifth with 59 points.
Taking the positives from the unwanted race result, Vesti said to Inside F2 in an exclusive interview that he’s still grateful for how the race played out and the team’s progress in his best Qualifying so far.
“I think we can be happy with our performance this weekend. The start in the Feature Race was killing the potential a bit, but we fought back to fourth place. Unfortunately, we lost some positions on the last lap to Drugovich.” Stated Vesti,
“Overall, a strong weekend. It’s my best Qualifying of the year, and we keep building.”
Last year, when he was competing in the FIA Formula 3 with the same outfit, the round in Spielberg proved to be his best performance throughout the 2021 season with a podium followed by an incredible win in the Feature Race in which he dominated.
Moreover, Mercedes Junior driver wasted no time beating the F3 reigning champion, Dennis Hauger, who confidently hauled his PREMA Racing’s off the line once the lights went out. Vesti kept pressuring the Norwegian driver to secure his first win of the season as Hauger briefly dropped to third.
Heading to the circuit that he knows well, Vesti is looking forward to using his experiences in conquering the eighth round of the season in the Red Bull Ring starting from 8-10 July.
“It’s Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, and I’m extremely excited for that. It’s only my favorite, I would say my most successful and favorite track, so far in my career. I’m just looking to go back.”
Image: Dutch Photo Agency
