The W Series race at Spa saw Emma Kimilainen triumph in front of Jamie Chadwick and Marta Garcia. The drivers were challenged by difficult conditions and some hard wheel-to-wheel battles. FormulaNerds spoke to the three podium sitters after the race to discuss maintaining focus, tricky conditions, and Zandvoort coming up next.
The race was delayed due to the hostile weather, limited visibility, and Lando Norris’ crash at Eau Rouge during the F1 qualifying session. Race winner Emma Kimilainen shared her pre-race mentality: “It is what it is and sometimes it rains and sometimes it doesn’t but then I’m still very grateful that I get to do what I get to do. I try to just keep myself calm and know that I can’t predict what’s coming and I don’t wanna think about what has happened before and just stay in the moment. Just enjoy and take everything out of it so that’s what I did and you only know when you actually drive how that’s gonna be. “
Championship leader Jamie Chadwick admitted being firstly in doubt about the possibility of actually racing: “Really tricky conditions and I raced at Spa a few times and I know people say that Spa throws conditions into the mix quite often but I never experienced it like this weekend. I think the main thing is to stay as relaxed as possible and with the delay I wasn’t even sure we were gonna get going, to be honest cause the rain had been throwing it down just before we went out so I’m just pleased to have had a good race today and obviously adapt to the conditions that were thrown at us.”.
The race start was decided to be a rolling start under the safety car, which played in favor of Marta Garcia: “Obviously I was nervous because this was actually my first race in wet conditions with a single-seater. I was a bit worried about the start but then they said it was going to be behind the safety car so I was more relaxed. Obviously, you need to relax in these kinds of moments and try to think of another thing to distract you. That’s what I also did when I was waiting because there was a really long wait of about an hour and a half.”
Next week, W Series will race in the recently renewed Zandvoort. All three drivers agreed on considering the Dutch circuit a new and unknown track, despite Kimilainen’s previous visit to the Netherlands: “I don’t know Zandvoort very well. I’ve been there 13 years ago I guess but it’s most likely a completely new track for me and I can remember only one corner so I don’t have a lot of experience from there so it’s going to be like Spa was for me and most of the tracks this season”.
Furthermore, the Finn went on to add she will use technology to her favor in preparing for the next race: “I’m watching a lot of Youtube videos and spending a little bit of time on the sim when we come to the race weekends cause we have a couple of fairly good sims to use here at the events so that’s basically my plan and to just enjoy and hopefully we’ll get the car working again and then we’re going to get a good result.”
Garcia, on the other side, will recur to a more old-school trick: “I know some people who have been there, some drivers racing in Formula Regional so I will try to talk to them and see if they can help somehow and as Emma said some Youtube videos, go to the Sim in Spain as well with Formula de Campeones which whom I’m working with now and they are helping me a lot. Prepare physically and mentally be ready and we will see how it goes the first time on the track.”
Moreover, Jamie Chadwick said herself excited about experiencing a new track and the doubleheader: “It’s a new track for me as well and so I’m looking forward to going there. Weirdly I seem to like new tracks because I’ve got no reference which seems to actually sometimes walk in my favor a little bit and I’m looking forward to learning Zandvoort and I think it’s time to have a back-to-back weekend as well cause you can kinda carry the momentum in the following weekend.”
Headline Image: W Series