A pair of points finishes for Louis in Hungary
Louis Delétraz added more valuable points to his FIA Formula 2 Championship tally during the third round of the season in Hungary this weekend.
After back-to-back events in Austria, F1’s official feeder series made the short trip to the tight and twisty Hungaroring, located on the outskirts of Budapest.
The Haas F1 Team test and reserve driver was bolstered by a podium finish in Austria but a tricky qualifying session in Hungary meant Louis could only line up P12 on the grid for Saturday’s 37-lap Feature Race.
During a race in which strategy proved influential, Charouz Racing System driver Louis steadily made up positions to pocket six points, thanks to his P7 finish.
“It was a bit unknown with the strategy going into the race and we committed to a soft/medium approach with the tyres. Unfortunately, it turned out to be wrong because it was faster the other way around,” Louis explained.
“But overall the pace was good. We overtook many cars, and to finish P7 was positive and we were quite happy with it.”
Louis’ promising performance on Saturday was rewarded with a front row starting slot for Sunday’s Sprint Race. The 28-lap encounter started on a damp track and unusually featured a pit stop, such was the high level of tyre degradation that the entire field encountered.
Louis opted for a soft/medium approach. At one stage, he dropped to P15 but recovered positions during a frantic race to take the chequered flag in P6 – securing another four points during what proved to be a frustrating race.
“It was damp to begin with and unfortunately we did the wrong choice by starting on softs – but those things happen,” the 23-year-old reflected.
“I don’t think anyone expected a pit stop. We thought degradation would be lower but it was higher. I’m not satisfied with it as we have to take our opportunities when we have them. We have everything to do better.
“Overall, we got some points this weekend but not enough. We have to aim higher. I am disappointed after this weekend but the motivation is still very high. We will be ready for Silverstone!”
After the opening three rounds, Louis currently holds P9 in the drivers’ championship, with at least another six events still to be contested.
Louis will return to Formula 2 action when the series visits Silverstone in the UK for the first of two events on July 31 to August 2.
