Street Circuit Survival in Monaco Rewarded with a Point for Van Amersfoort Racing
After a very successful weekend in Imola, highlighted by Santiago Ramos’ win in the F3 Feature Race, the team quickly turned its attention to the next event in this European triple header. The weekend in Monaco proved to be a challenging one for the teams, with only small rewards to be taken.
Monaco's unique qualifying format divides the field into two groups. In Group A, Ivan Domingues secured 9th place with a time of 1:25.848, while Théophile Naël clocked in at 1:26.004, placing him 12th in the same group. In Group B, Santiago Ramos faced challenges, recording a time of 1:27.797, which positioned him 13th in his group. These results set the stage for the weekend's races, with the team focusing on strategic opportunities to advance. These qualifying results placed Ivan in P17, Théophile in P23, and Santiago in P24 on the starting grid for the races.
In F2, the same qualifying format was followed. In Group A, John Bennett secured 11th place with a time of 1:22.987. In Group B, Rafael Villagómez could nog set a lap time, after hitting the barrier due to an incident with Alexander Dunne. The stewards decided not to take any further action regarding this matter. While the team did not entirely share this view, we respect the process and have chosen to move forward and come back stronger. Consequently, Bennett started both races from 21st position, while Villagómez lined up 22nd.
Starting from the back, the VAR trio aimed to capitalize on any openings during the F3 Sprint Race. Théophile demonstrated his race craft by staying out of trouble, and finishing 16th, gaining valuable experience on the narrow streets. Santiago and Ivan both could not reach the finish line due to a collision at the end of the opening lap at turn 8. After the race, Nicola Lacorte received a 10-second time penalty for causing this incident.
After a difficult F2 Sprint Race, in which overtaking is almost impossible, Rafael finished in P18, managing to stay out of trouble. John was forced to retire his car after sustaining significant damage after an accident. His early exit marked a challenging race for the rookie driver on the demanding Monte Carlo circuit.
In the F3 Feature Race, Santiago showcased consistency, finishing 16th and gaining valuable insights for future races. Ivan Domingues faced similar challenges, crossing the line in 18th but receiving a ten-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, resulting in a final classification of 20th. Théophile's race ended prematurely after touching the wall following a close fight on track.
The F2 Feature Race was marked by a significant incident on the opening lap, resulting in a red flag and the retirement of several cars. Both VAR drivers managed to avoid the initial chaos. Although John came to a stop after the crash, he was able to get going again and rejoin the race. Rafael delivered a great recovery drive, starting from the back of the grid and finishing P9. This earned the team one point, as the race was run to a reduced distance and Column 2 points, when more than 25% but less than 50% of the scheduled race distance is completed, were awarded. John crossed the line in P11, narrowly missing out on his first points of the season. After the race, the British driver received a five-second time penalty for a safety car infringement, but it did not affect his final position.