A high-speed tyre puncture, an engine issue and a first-lap accident, the main events of a very frustrating weekend for Faster Than Speed at Silverstone.
The team scored no points on British soil, with Patrick De Wit ending his race in the barriers after an unexpected front-left tyre failure, while Giuseppe Marconi had engine problems since the opening lap.
In the World Championship, the team endured a disappointing Qualifying session, with Patrick De Wit and Giuseppe Marconi setting the 13th and 17th fastest times respectively in the Q1 session, ending the streak of Q2 runs.
Patrick made another strong start, climbing to 9th place by the end of the opening lap, which included a great pass on both Huis and Puumalainen in a single corner. Patrick then tried to defend his position with a car that did not perform as in the last few races. On lap 18, and despite racing on the hard tyre compound, a front-left puncture on a high-speed section of the track caused Patrick to go off-track and end his race against the barriers.
Giuseppe also had a difficult race. When making contact with a competitor on the opening lap, he spun his FTS-P11. He managed to rejoin the race but with some severe engine damage. Despite having to nurse the car throughout the whole race, Giuseppe managed to make some progress and gain several positions, but the powerplant didn't make it to the end of the race, giving up with 5 laps to go. Giuseppe was eventually classified inside 90% in 17th place.
Giuseppe Marconi (17th): "Another unlucky first lap for me. At the start I touched someone in front which caused me to spin. Trying to restart the engine, I landed on a kerb with two tyres on the air. I spent about 10 seconds trying to exit from that unpleasant position and when I was free we noticed that I had lost 15% of engine life. With that problem and low radiator, I knew it would not be enough to finish the race. I was angry but still pushed a lot and I was able to catch a few drivers in front of me. Then after my pitstop I tried to finish the race because both drivers in front and behind me were too far, but even if I drove at about a second a lap slower than my pace for 20 laps, to save engine life, it died a few laps before the end."
Patrick De Wit (DNF): "13th in Qualifying, I didn't have the same grip as before. In the race I went from 13th to 9th, defending from and overtaking Huis. After he passed me, I overtook him going into Sector 3, passing both Huis and Puumalainen in one move. That was the highlight of my race. I then had some battles with Morris and Conti, hard but fair battles. I'm disappointed we made a step backwards in this race."
In the World Series division, Giuseppe Marconi unfortunately had a very short race, suffering an unavoidable incident as he ran into a car that was stopped across the racing line, retiring from the race before completing the opening lap.
After the well-deserved long break, Faster Than Speed will be heading to the Nurburgring for the German GP. The venue returns to the FSR calendar this year after the GP took part at Hockenheim in 2010. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and live coverage from Germany!
Exclusive pictures and videos available in our Facebook page! Also, don't miss our live Twitter (@FTS_Racing) coverage of the WC races!
Faster Than Speed
Press Release
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