Laurens Vanthoor ends the season with a podium
Hockenheim (Germany). The F3 Euro Series season has come to an end. On the former F1 circuit of Hockenheim the three final races of the 2011 season were on the programme for Laurens Vanthoor, and with one podium place to his name he is now returning to Belgium, where he will be carrying out some intensive training with a view to preparing for the F3 Grand Prix of Macau, the final race of a long F3 season.
For Laurens Vanthoor the qualifying sessions for the final competition of the F3 Euro Series were promising. The Signature VW driver and Circuit Zolder ambassador was able to grab a place up near the front of the starting grid, with respectively a fourth and fifth starting position for the races on Saturday and Sunday.
Laurens Vanthoor: “The speed was perfect, I was confident and knew that with a strong performance I still had a chance of finishing with a podium. Hockenheim is one of the circuits I know pretty well and I was fully determined to finish to season on a high note.”
Laurens Vanthoor kept to his word and on Saturday morning, under glorious autumnal weather, took a great start in the first race. He promptly moved up into third place and in fact took the chequered in third spot.
Laurens Vanthoor: “This was my sixth podium of the season and notwithstanding the fact that the season did not come up to our expectations, this is a great windfall. You are permanently fighting it out with the top players in F3 and to finish up front is always a great reward.”
Unfortunately the remainder of the weekend in Hockenheim was less positive for Vanthoor, who only managed to score two further points in the third race.
Laurens Vanthoor: “That third race really angered me. I was nudged at the start by another car and that ruined my entire race, and with the car I had at my disposal I might have taken another podium place. But all in all it rather reflects what has happened throughout my entire season, which similar to last year I finish off in a sixth place overall. I'm now going to fully concentrate on Macau.”
(end)
