Patrick Heuzenroeder shows impressive performance showcased by top-ten finish at Silverstone
July 29th, 2024
Patrick Heuzenroeder scored points in all three races as the GB3 championship returned to British soil for Round 6 (27-28 July) of the season at Silverstone.
Qualifying presented a mixed bag of emotions for the Australian to kick off the weekend around the 5.900 km (3.666 mile) Grand Prix circuit. “I was happy to be in the top 12.” Heuzenroeder remarked, “But overall a little bit disappointed that I wasn’t well inside the top ten as I had hoped, as I did at Zandvoort and Hungary.”
Initially securing 11th place, he was later pushed to 12th after another competitor’s lap was reinstated. Despite the setback, securing reverse-grid pole was an early silver lining for the JHR Developments driver.
The challenge was further compounded by following another car during the qualifying session. An issue that resulted in the No.10 wrestling aerodynamic wash rather than gaining the desired affect of a tow.
Race one on Saturday proved to be a tumultuous start for Heuzenroeder. “A really tough first lap. I got boxed in at turn one and then I was swamped heading into Maggots and Becketts.”
The Australian had no choice but to shortcut Chapel as a result and was later pushed off-track at the Loop, leaving him last after the first lap.
However, the safety car period allowed him to stage an impressive comeback, making up six positions in just two and a half laps. Highlighting the pace seen at the previous round at Zandvoort where he claimed his first podium of the season.
Resilience then paid off for the 18-year old as he recovered valuable points after a difficult start to the race.
Sunday morning’s race two saw him start and finish in 12th place. The Australian initially lost a position on the opening lap but quickly regained the place by the time the field arrived at Village.
Running with the same tyres from race one, the main focus for race two was to manage tyre wear throughout the race against competitors with fresher sets. This resulted in a race of defence, carried out to maintain his starting position as he crossed the finish line.
The final race was fraught with difficulties for Heuzenroeder. After starting the race on pole he then fell to third by Stowe. Battling understeer and dirty air made holding position a hard-fought battle with the car setup to be leading from the front.
A rival then made a move which pushed Heuzenroeder off-line, allowing a following group of cars to also take advantage and further push him back down the order.
Ultimately, he defended hard for several laps before settling into eighth place, finishing the race with a sense of frustration.
Despite all of the setbacks, Heuzenroeder delivered a weekend in which every race saw him finish higher than the previous result. This results in the Australian sitting 11th in the GB3 standings as the championship goes on a six week break before returning to action for Round 7 at Donington Park GP (7-8 September).
Patrick Heuzenroeder said:
“Race one was challenging. I was boxed in at turn one and had fallen to last. I recovered six positions after a safety car with some fun moves around Stowe and Village. Saturday as a whole was a frustrating day but we will learn from it.
“Race three didn’t go as planned. Starting on pole, I dropped to third and, after some overtakes and dirty air issues, finished eighth. It was an ok weekend overall, improving my position in each race means we were working in the right direction at least. We’ll review the footage and after the long break I am sure I’ll come back stronger for Donington.”
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