Driver comments from the Coppa Shell Race 2 at Misano

A hard-fought and exciting race was prematurely cut short due to the red flag following a collision between Cheung and Scheltema. Sharing their thoughts about the various stages of the race are the protagonists who stood on the podium alongside the winners, Axel Sartingen in the Coppa Shell and Martinus Richter in the Am.

Axel Sartingen, Coppa Shell winner: “It was an interesting start. I couldn’t make it in qualifying, because of a mistake I made. It’s very narrow here in Misano and the gaps are really small. In fact, between first and fifth position there were only a few tenths of a second of difference. At the start of the race I risked everything and made a good start and managed to take P1 and gain an advantage over the pursuers. Willem van der Vorm had a good race and is a good, fast driver. But then there was the accident and the race was stopped. I think the decision to stop was a wise one. I only lost one point this weekend compared to what was possible. I can only be satisfied. The next round will be in Austria. Hopefully it can be as positive as Misano was.”

Willem van der Vorm, second in Coppa Shell: “I can consider myself very happy with today’s race, even though I lost ground at the start due to a small mistake. I did my best to keep up with Axel Sartingen until the Safety Car intervened. I could have achieved the same result in yesterday’s race.”

Thomas Gostner, third in Coppa Shell: “I was lucky at the start: I managed to get to third place and then hold on to it, edging away from the group behind me. I am very happy because it is not the easiest of races in this championship, at least for me.”

Martinus Richter, Coppa Shell Am winner: “At Misano I returned to racing in the Ferrari Challenge after a six-month stop. In yesterday’s race I was unlucky because, due to a mistake on my last lap, I got involved in a collision. As qualifying was not satisfactory and I didn’t manage to set the fastest lap, today I attacked right from the start which, in fact, was excellent and allowed me to reach a high speed and thus overtake some rivals. I finished in first place, which also coincides with my first podium of the season. Now I will concentrate on the next round at Spielberg, a circuit I raced on two years ago, which I love and I would like to thank Ferrari for that.”

Giuseppe Ramelli, second in Coppa Shell Am: “It was a good race: I was in a long battle with Martinus Richter, we were very close but, in the end, he got the better of me. We had a lot of fun. It was too bad about the red flag in the last laps that saw the race get cut short prematurely.

Henrik Kamstrup, third in Coppa Shell Am: “It was not a perfect race like yesterday, but I got off to the best possible start. I managed to avoid any collisions and was doing the best I could and, in the end, I have to say that I am happy with my final position.”