Slides, collisions, and safety car periods: FACH AUTO TECH experienced a chaotic Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup race at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Despite fourth place in difficult weather conditions, the team from Sattel was not fully satisfied.
The many safety car periods made it clear that the wet Ardennes rollercoaster posed great challenges for the drivers. The start was already more than turbulent with contact and spins in the field, but Christopher Zöchling kept a clear head, working his way up from ninth to fourth place within a few corners. In the third lap, the Austrian then snatched third.
Zöchling defended his podium position throughout the race. Things heated up again two laps before the end: “I slammed on my brakes in a duel and fell back to fifth place. The subsequent safety car period made it impossible for me to regain these positions,” explained the fourth-placed driver at the finish.
“This is all the more frustrating for us, because in our opinion the safety car brought more chaos than safety at this point. After all, it was called out because a car was stationary in the pit lane,” adds team principal Alex Fach. “Actually, fourth place would be a reason to celebrate, but now we are somewhat disappointed – even though our trio delivered a good job in these difficult conditions.”
Marius Nakken was also not happy despite a good performance in the race. Finishing tenth, the Norwegian slipped to 21st in the standings due to a 10-second penalty. “I actually managed well today. The conditions were far from easy, but I consistently fought within the top 10. I would have loved to take these points home with me,” said the Porsche driver after the 300th race of the championship.
Teammate Fabio Scherer had to fight his way forward from the back of the field after starting from the pit lane. “From 21st on the grid, it is difficult to make up positions in such strong competition. That’s why we took a gamble and went out on slicks. After the formation lap, however, it was clear that this just would not work,” explained Scherer. “The safety car at the beginning then played to our advantage – the field moved closer together and I was able to make up places lap after lap.” In the end, the driver from Engelberg crossed the finish line in 22nd after a spirited run.
Next up in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is the Circuit Zandvoort. From 3 to 5 September, the international one-make series will visit the modified dune circuit near Amsterdam.