Gustav Malja admitted his delight at his breakthrough GP2 Series podium finish at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday, with the Swede having by far his best weekend in the championship so far.
The Rapax driver led both the Feature race on Saturday and the Sunday Sprint race, but unlike on Saturday when he was unable to keep up the pace, Malja was able to remain in contention all the way through Sunday’s event, losing out to Prema Racing’s Antonio Giovinazzi through the use of DRS but comfortably holding on for second.
”Such an amazing feeling,” said Malja. ”Finishing on the GP2 podium is even sweeter than I expected it to be, and I really have to thank the team for giving me a great car this weekend. We’ve taken another significant step and all the Rapax guys really, really deserve this. I’m thrilled.
”This is a great way to kick-start the final part of the season, and hopefully we can carry this form into the coming races.
”We’re picking the package together bit by bit. My starts have been good all year basically, but now we’ve managed to perform strongly in qualifying and also over a full race distance. It’s a confidence boost, but I’m under no illusions. Competition in GP2 is extreme, and I know it will take a lot of hard work to maintain this. I’m staying realistic.”
