Štolcermanis: We Took a Step Forward in Hungary
Thomas Štolcermanis finished fifth on Saturday in the FREC round at the Hungaroring, but retired after a crash on Sunday; the driver remains optimistic ahead of the next race.
Latvian driver Thomas Štolcermanis completed his first Formula Regional European Championship weekend at the Hungaroring in Hungary. Despite a difficult Sunday, he looks back on the event positively.
On Saturday, Štolcermanis, who was racing at the Hungaroring for the first time, set the third fastest time in his qualifying group and started the first race from sixth position. He managed to overtake a rival and finished fifth, which he described as his best result of the season so far. His teammate Kien Nakamura-Berta improved from 13th to 10th in the same race.
Sunday proved more challenging. After a tough qualifying session, Štolcermanis started from 18th place. He made a strong start, moving up to 14th, but later got involved in an incident while battling with other drivers and was forced to retire. Nakamura-Berta, meanwhile, benefited from a penalty to a competitor and finished third.
Despite the disappointment, Štolcermanis remains optimistic, stating that the team is keeping their heads up. The next round will take place at Paul Ricard in France, where the driver hopes to build on the pace and rhythm he found on Saturday.
