Max Defourny’s wait for a first victory of 2017 continued at the Red Bull Ring, with the Belgian forced to settle for a third place finish in race one before a disappointing end to race two saw him finish down in eighth.
The R-ace GP driver took pole position for race one but found himself shuffled down to third by Max Fewtrell and Sacha Fenestraz, with a damaged floor having an effect on his car in both the straights and the turns, preventing him from showing his true speed.
“Obviously, I didn’t achieve the result I wanted in Race 1,” said Defourny. “Unfortunately, I had a problem with the floor of my car which affected the balance and my straight-line speed.
“On the positive side, I was still able to get 15 valuable points. Despite the fact that it was a difficult race for me, I was able to stay very close to the leader for most of the race.
“I gave it all I had but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to win.”
Defourny started from third on the grid in race two and was involved in a number of battles, first off with Gabriel Aubry but then later on with Fewtrell and Daniel Ticktum, but ultimately a last lap mistake cost him dearly as he dropped further down the pack, finishing eighth behind Thomas Randle and Yifei Ye.
“Another difficult race for me,” reflected Defourny. “From the start, I was involved in a lot of on-track battles. I tried to keep my position at the same time as to overtake the cars in front of me.
“Of course, I am not happy with an eighth place. Together with the team, I will take the summer break to analyse how I can get the maximum points in the remaining three races of the season.”