Tough day for Max at FR2.0 Eurocup test at Jerez

Published on 28 March 2014 by Stefan Meens

In preparation for his first F3 season, Max Verstappen participates in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup test at Jerez, driving for the Dutch Manor MP Motorsport team. The 16-year-old experiences a tough first of two days. A mechanical issue halts Max' progress in the morning, whereas a struggle to get the set-up right, prevents the youngster and the team from putting in front running times. In a field of 34 drivers, the Dutchman has to settle for a fifteenth and eleventh position at the end of the Thursday.

As the morning session gets under way (9.30am - 12.45pm) Max puts in a ten lap stint, putting him into tenth. As he ventures out on track for another run, a mechanical issue concerning the rear suspension prevents him from completing his laps. Max: “Just as I wanted to put in some times on fresh rubber, one of the rear pushrods broke.” The repair works takes over and hour, at the exact time the track conditions are at their optimum. The data and results show that between 10.30am and 11am the track is fastest. “When I had to chance to go out again the track temperature had risen which meant I couldn’t top the lap times.”
Therefore, Max ends the morning, with 26 laps absolved, in fifteenth with a 1:40.532. “It wasn’t great”, admits Max, as he trails front-runner Bruno Bonifacio by 0.8s.

During the afternoon session (2pm - 5.30pm) Max hits the track to complete several stints. With one hour left on the clock, he sits in seventh, eight tenths of the fastest lap of the moment. Max: “We tried to make to car faster with some set-up changes because I lacked front-end grip. Most of this set-up work is done on used tyres so it’s hard to judge were your true pace is at.”

The last half an hour feels like a qualifying session as pretty much everyone hits the track with the times tumbling. Max leaves the pits on a brand new set of slicks. “When I entered my ‘flying’ lap, it didn’t feel great. I already lost a bit of grip in my outlap. It just was not a good performance", explains an honest Max.
In the end, he manages a 1:40.481, a tenth quicker than his morning time, which puts him in eleventh, 0.681s behind Bonifacio's P1 time.

“In the afternoon I struggled to turn into the fast corners, I kept sliding which means you cannot carry the speed through the corners. However, in the tighter turns the car turned really well. So we'll analyze and try to figure out how we can resolve the issues”, concludes Max.

Live timing for day two of the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup test in Jerez will be available at: http://crono-jerez.com
Our Twitter and Facebook pages will keep you updated throughout the day regarding Max' progress. As usual, we will give a full report at the end of the day, so keep an eye on the Verstappen Info Page.


Results Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup test – Day 1, Thursday March 27 – Jerez: 
Morning session
Afternoon session