Emil Frey Racing: winners and losers 🎥
A CHANGING BATH OF FEELINGS Although the Lamborghini team from Safenwil won one of the two GT Open races in Austria, they also had to put up with setbacks. The highlights with the many incidents in the first race at Spielberg show just how tough things are in this GT3 championship. Victory for one, retirement for the [...]
The highlights with the many incidents in the first race at Spielberg show just how tough things are in this GT3 championship.
Victory for one, retirement for the other Lamborghini duo
With its many highs and lows, the mountain panorama at the Red Bull Ring reflected the emotional world of Emil Frey Racing on its debut at the Austrian GP circuit. In Saturday's International GT Open race, Albert Costa Balboa and Giacomo Altoè brought the team from Safenwil its fifth victory in seven races. After the second race win for the #63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO #63, the duo regained the lead in the championship standings.
Meanwhile, local hero Norbert Siedler and Mikael Grenier had to start the race with a handicap of an additional 15 seconds at the pit stop. Having dropped from P3 to P12 as a result, the Austrian nevertheless worked his way back up to fifth position in the second Lamborghini, before a time penalty for a mistake after the pit stop dropped him back to seventh place.
Two missed chances for the podium in the anniversary race
On Sunday, both Lambos from Switzerland were on course for third place. Grenier/Siedfler were the first to lose it when an electrical problem in their car led to misfiring, shifting problems and ultimately a retirement. As a result, the sister car of Altoè/Costa Balboa moved up to third position, despite an extra 15 seconds due to the race win on Saturday.
However, their hopes of a podium in the 200th race of the International GT Open, which was launched in 2006, vanished into thin air on the final lap. The Mercedes driver in fifth place mounted a surprise attack and not only passed the fourth-placed McLaren, but also the Spaniard's Lamborghini, which was carried too far off the racing line. All that remained for Emil Frey Racing was fifth place.
Disappointment prevails
The team boss was correspondingly contrite after this unsatisfactory result.
Lorenz Frey-Hilti: "As nice as the victory on Saturday was, the disappointments outweigh the positives, especially from the race on Sunday. The weekend was not easy. With the current balance of performance, it's difficult to keep up with our direct rival McLaren. Despite everything, the team did a great job again and we were able to take home some important points. The championship is still wide open. We are now going into a break of almost two months and are already looking forward to the next round at Silverstone in September."
Title fight still completely open
In the drivers' championship, Albert Costa Balboa and Giacomo Altoé are tied on points (70 each) with the McLaren duo Chavis/Kodric, while Grenier/Siedler have dropped back to fifth place (55) due to their second zero. Teo Martin Motorsport now leads the team standings with 77 points ahead of Emil Frey Racing (72).
