Formula 3: First point for Fabio Scherer
EIGHTH IN SILVERSTONE Fabio Scherer delivered his best performance to date in the FIA Formula 3 Championship at Silverstone. The driver from Lucerne is convinced that he has turned things around with his first push into the points. The only Swiss driver in the new FIA Formula 3 Championship (formerly GP3) and one of the three drivers from the Sauber Junior Team by Charouz [...]
The only Swiss driver in the new FIA Formula 3 Championship (formerly GP3) and one of the three drivers from the Sauber Junior Team by Charouz got off to a good start to the weekend at one of his favorite race tracks. He was eleventh fastest in free practice on Friday and even finished ninth in qualifying, putting Fabio Scherer in the top 10 on the grid at Silverstone for the first time this season.
A disappointment at first...
Unfortunately, the first race on Saturday was disappointing, as he was not quite able to keep up with the speed of the competition and was relegated to 16th place. As the starting grid for the second race on Sunday depends on the finish on Saturday, this meant a lot of work for Scherer.
Fabio Scherer: "I thought it might be possible to finish in the points. But I knew that I would have to give it my all. As the race progressed, I saw the guys at the front battling furiously for positions. That's why I didn't want to attack directly, but to keep up the pace and put myself in a good position."
... then catch up in the top 8
This strategy paid off in the final phase. With a competitive race car this time, the 20-year-old drove up to a points-winning eighth place. He even set a personal best time on the 20th and final lap.
Fabio Scherer: "We got the set-up a bit wrong in the first race, but then drew the right conclusions. I got faster and faster. That was the first time this season that we really had the pace to fight with the cars in front. My car was great and it was really fun."
Reward for the hard work
The Lucerne native emphasizes that his performance is down to the hard work he and the engineers in the Sauber Junior Team by Charouz have put in since the last race in Austria.
Fabio Scherer: "This weekend gives us confidence. Only in the first race did we make a mistake with the set-up, but we drew the right conclusions afterwards. The last few weeks have been the biggest challenge in my career as a racing driver to date, because we had so much to fight for. Now I'm relieved and much more relaxed because it feels like we've turned the corner."
Confidence for the next three races
The Sauber junior is now looking ahead to the next races with corresponding confidence.
Fabio Scherer: "It certainly took longer than we had planned to land the first point. But we now have a basis for achieving further good results. The Hungaroring, Spa-Francorchamps and Monza are all tracks that suit me. So I'm confident that things will continue to improve."
