Off the back of test lobbies and a sub-1:36 FP time, I went into yesterday's Manufacturers round with a lot of promise and a chance to carry the momentum from Red Bull Ring. Unfortunately, as it so often happens in FIA races, the proceedings didn't turn out quite as I had expected.
15:00 Manufacturers
Once again met
@watto79 and my French teammate as the 13th seed. Though an uneventful session for me, qualifying was genuinely close, with the top fourteen drivers separated by just over eight-tenths. Could've done with making my two fliers a little less scrappy - best was a 1:36.942 on my second try. Eleventh didn't seem like a bad place to start, but having clocked mid-1:36s and even a high 1:36.1 in practice, I could already feel disappointment in not fulfilling the GT LM's true potential.
The response to that was to abort my planned tyre strategy (7S-9M-2H) and instead do the first stint on Mediums. In hindsight, this was probably the most solid part, as it didn't take long for me to start gaining places as others went off and picked up penalties. Over time, a train of cars for third place - lead by my French teammate - began forming up ahead, and despite having to relinquish a place to a TEST BMW I managed to get close to the tail of the formation. This meant having to fend off attacks from a Michelin Porsche, which eventually lead us to trade 9th and 10th places as the pitstop cycles came into force. By Lap 9, I was following my teammate, along with a Porsche and AMG GT, in a three-car line for 3rd. We all dived into the pits together, and in an attempt to jump them later on I decided to get the Hard compounds out of the way.
In the short-term, this seemed to work, even as I was shortly hounded and passed by a Russian Honda. That didn't matter, for it would soon be my chance to take on Softs and leapfrog the runners up front. With six laps remaining, my GT LM was running in 14th, having been beaten to the first corner by another AMG. This didn't help my cause or my mood, nor did losing significant chunks of time trying to pass a pair of Alfas for 11th and 12th places. While the AMG eventually got clear, the MYTEAM Alfa was not making things easy for me, and it took a pass around the outside of the second hairpin on Lap 14 to finally pull past. While I lost more time trying to fight the AMG on Lap 17, perhaps the final lot of pitstops - the sequence of late switches to Hard compounds - would help me salvage another top-10 spot?
When a purple, blue and red Alfa pulled out of pit road on the run into the first S-bend, this looked to be the case. I draw alongside and ahead, take the apex through the first part and think I might have the job done with a clean exit. But, the Alfa takes a tighter line and shuts the door on me; there's contact which causes me to shimmy over the kerb. Any chance of salvaging 10th is gone unless I can floor it and take advantage of his lower grip levels. It's close... but no cigar. Despite a few sketchy moments, the Alfa crosses the line just over a tenth ahead...
Though on reflection I probably shouldn't have felt too frustrated with this run, 11th place and 159 points seemed like poor rewards for the pace I had set in FP and practice. Towards the end, it became clear to me that going onto Hards first was a major mistake, having lost contact with the mid-top 10 group in doing so. Going again with the prospect of a better qualifying run and finish would be essential if I was to get a points score that better reflected the GT LM's FP performance.
20:40 Manufacturers
And yet, I almost thought against doing it. Was already feeling tired from last night's Bridgestone Tour race (which if you haven't seen
@Pigems' replay of was an absolute hoot), plus some working commitments I finished before the 15:00 slot, so abandoned my plan to enter the 18:00 as I hadn't quite rested fully. My mind was still cloudy about the 20:40 until the last minute of entry, but in my apprehension and determination I finally decided to sign up and see how I'd go.
Despite being the 4th seed and facing many of the competitors from the 15:00, I somehow managed to make an even bigger hash of qualifying this time. Hopped the kerb at the death chicane into the barriers on my first flier, and turned to the right expecting everyone to get by on the usual line. What I don't see coming is a Porsche drifting wildly in my rear-view mirror, slamming into my rear bumper as he tries to save it. The result is a 2-second penalty for me as I scrape along the tunnel wall; initially, I thought I had accidentally blocked him through lifting off to let traffic past, but watching my on-board more clearly confirmed to me that he was already out of control.
No point in setting another lap from that point; I would've been a mobile roadblock anyway. It was also while pitting that I realised that I had gone out on
Mediums. Clearly I had forgotten to change them back after the 15:00!
I've had 20th-place starts before, but this was a new one on me. Never had I felt so foggy and disorganised in an FIA qualifying session!
So, the strategy was a no-brainer. I would start on Hards and work through the pack in the same way I did in the Brands Hatch Gr.3 Exhibition race. It would mean having to deal with a sketchier and less confident GT LM, but this didn't seem to matter too much when the stint would be short and sweet. On Lap 2, an Alfa pushes another off before the first hairpin; I take to the inside kerb, sensing there is enough space to get by the unfortunate Martini-liveried car. Said Martini Alfa re-joins sideways, clouting my left-rear and prompting me to question my cleanliness in that given scenario. Gave him an apology afterwards, so no harm done.
Anyway, from Hard to Mediums we go, and our progress is tentative at first. Lost 18th and part of my cool to the Citroen on Softs, but we keep going. My mind begins clearing up as we cross the half-way mark and see that the bottom half of the top 10 is in reach. By Lap 11 I am sitting in provisional 7th, though the treads on the GT LM are starting to lose their edge. Following my switch to Softs, the heat turned up as I started making rapid gains on the white Alfa (in another Martini livery) in front. However, much of the next few laps is spent trying to fend off the pole-sitting Porsche, who first makes his presence known by gently nudging me to the kerb out of the final hairpin. Next, he tries to make a lunge at the esses, but all he succeeds in doing is holding us up and letting the Alfa briefly get away. A better run out of the death chicane leads to the Porsche attacking again, this time at the final hairpin once more. I take a wider line; the Porsche slides, and I floor it around the outside.
By this time, the Alfa must have felt sorry for holding us up, so he indicated left on Lap 14 as we neared the first S-bend. I took the inside; a deep, but clean line, and away. The Porsche soon followed past as well. Still 30 seconds down on the leading Frenchman, but doing well on fuel consumption and making gains. The Citroen is eliminated at the S-bend, as is the Spanish Porsche two laps from the end. Closing in on the MYTEAM Alfa from earlier, but again he proves very awkward to pass. As soon as we cleared the last-lap pitters, I knew I had done enough to secure 8th place, though the Ford still had plenty in reserve to challenge the Alfa some more. The Alfa shuts the doors on me down the straight to the second hairpin, before I remind myself that we need to get through the death chicane one last time.
Cannot stress how relieved I felt when I crossed the line. 190 points and the temporary honour of being Ford's best-scoring driver of the day felt like a antidote to the disappointment and uncertainty I had burrowed myself into earlier. Not sure when I will next commit to an FIA meeting as I have a very busy month ahead, but rest assured I will still try and get a few done where I can. Hopefully with a clearer head
and without messing up qualifying, too...
Are they checking to see if anyone still tries to cheat with the tyre strat?
