After losing out to a quartet of Prema Theodore Racing drivers in the first FIA European Formula 3 Championship Qualifying session earlier in the day, Daniel Ticktum was delighted with the improvements made to his Motopark car that enabled him to secure pole position for races two and three at Zandvoort on Friday.
The Red Bull-backed Briton, who has been linked with a potential jump into Formula 1 in 2019 with Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda in place of the under-pressure Brendon Hartley, set the fifth fastest time in the opening session around the former home of the Dutch Grand Prix, and spent the time in between the sessions addressing the deficit Motopark faced compared to Prema.
The result was a sensational double pole position for races two and three, with Ticktum setting the fastest time of the day to grab pole for race two ahead of Prema’s Ralf Aron, while his second fastest was enough to deny team-mate Jüri Vips top spot for race three.
“In the three hours between first and second qualifying, we solely concentrated on improving,” said Ticktum. “At the end of the day, the solution was relatively easy and with a little fine-tuning on the set-up, things went really well.
“I am really happy with my two pole positions and I hope that I will be able to make good starts in the races, so that I can head home after this weekend as the leader in the drivers’ standings.”
