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F3 - COURSE DE HONGRIE - Conférence de presse course 1 (en anglais)

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03.08.19

F3 - 2019 Race of Hungary - Post Race 1 Press Conference

FIA Formula 3: Hello and welcome to today's FIA Formula 3 press conference following Race 1 here in Hungary. We are joined today by the top three finishers from the opening race, in first place Christian Lundgaard from ART Grand Prix, in second place Max Fewtrell from ART Grand Prix, and in third place Jake Hughes from HWA RACELAB. Christian, we could hear over the radio after you took the chequered flag just how much that meant to you. After the disappointment in Barcelona earlier this year, to now get this result, can you sum up your feelings?

Christian Lundgaard: To be fair, despite what happened in Barcelona, it's not something that I keep in mind. For me to win this race today was to get back from where we've been since Paul Ricard [France] actually. To get back onto the podium. We've struggled a bit. We seem to have the pace on one lap but have struggled in the race. Now we are back where we belong.

FIA Formula 3: And in pretty dominant fashion as well - pole position, fastest lap, race win and you led every single lap, but you were moaning a little bit about tyre degradation. There were a few concerns out there. How difficult was it? Was it as easy as it looked for us?

Christian: I think that at the beginning I actually tried to save my tyres, and I was really surprised that at the point where my front tyres died really quickly. After that it was just playing around, trying to get the car around the track, but from the middle to the end it seemed like I could keep my tyres in a pretty good condition to set the fastest lap on the last lap.

FIA Formula 3: Congratulations and well done. Max, coming on to you now. Your second podium finish of the season and you finished a long way clear of the rest of the field. Could you talk us through your race?

Max Fewtrell: I got a good start and got behind Christian. We got close in Turn 2 when we both locked-up and went straight on. We were lucky to get out of that. From then on I was just kind of taking it easy and saving the tyres. I could feel the front left was really hurting already on the first four laps. I think it's a lot about management. Then the last six laps I started to push really hard just to see if I could get within Christian's DRS, but the tyres didn't stay with me in my pursuit and they ran out on the last three laps. Christian saved it up and went for it on the last lap and yeah... He did a good job.

Christian: Thank you. You too [laughs].

FIA Formula 3: Christian touched on the breakthrough that ART have made here, so to take a 1-2 finish, how much of a boost do you think that's going to be for the whole team going into tomorrow and the rest of the season?

Max: I think it's going to be crucial for us that we need to keep this momentum up now. It's been quite up and down. We know we've got the pace and it's been frustrating at times to not be able to show it. We had tough weekends in Paul Ricard [France] and Silverstone [Great Britain] in the races where the pace just wasn't there. We need to capitalise on this and really move forward.

FIA Formula 3: Well done. Jake moving on to you now, a late pass on Jüri Vips, a really lovely pass, to take third place and claim a podium finish. Could you talk us through that battle? Jüri and Niko Kari were fighting over third place and you were sitting behind. Was it case of waiting for your moment to strike and get ahead?

Jake Hughes: Yeah exactly. I was stuck in the DRS train and it seemed like everyone had to kind of wait for Jüri [Vips] to get the move on [Niko] Kari. I was just waiting and saving my tyres until that opportunity came. In the middle sector especially it was important to sort of make a gap, and then it would close up again in Sector 3. Thankfully Niko then made a mistake, I think in Turn 2 as well, and I managed to squeeze through one corner after Jüri got through. He was quite slow so I immediately gapped him and the pack was stuck behind him again, and then I just set off after Jüri. The pace was a lot quicker than his. It was quite comfortable to stay with him and close the gap. It was quite fair. I think we had two or three laps at it into Turn 1, and he defended the first couple of times very well I think. I couldn't get through. Into Turn 2 of the lap that I got him, I just put the car on the outside and I think he was quite fair actually, I didn't expect him to give me that much room to be honest [laughs]. So yeah... I got the inside into Turn 3. I tried for the fastest lap on the last lap [laughs], but my tyres were screaming after being in traffic for the whole race. There was no chance.

FIA Formula 3: We know it's so difficult to overtake here, so when you pull off a move like you did on Jüri, does that feel extra sweet?

Jake: Yeah. He was struggling as well I think so I had that little bit of an advantage in terms of grip. I managed the race quite well so that helped. It is so difficult to overtake in Hungary. I remember last year was basically impossible, so to get a move like that done did feel good, and credit to Jüri as well for not crashing into the side of me [laughs].

FIA Formula 3: Well done today. Christian, returning to you. As Jake said it's very difficult to overtake here. Tomorrow you're going to be starting from eighth place on the grid. What can you expect to do from there?

Christian: Lots of dirty air! I think it's going to be really difficult to keep the front tyres, so I might need to get some tips from Jake on how he did it [laughs]. I think it's about surviving to be fair, getting some points, that's what we've been missing in the whole first part of the season and that's what we need to focus on.