Podium in Spielberg: Jeffrey Schmidt gets the better of tricky conditions
Successful weekend in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at the Red Bull Ring. Jeffrey Schmidt once again showed that he intends to keep his championship ambitions alive by securing third place. Under extremely tough conditions, the Swiss driver went from fourth position on the grid to a place on the podium. The heavens opened over Spielberg just before the start of the race and both teams and drivers were faced with a difficult decision, because the fresh tarmac was drying faster than previously thought. Schmidt bolted on slicks, fought his way up into third place thanks to a strong start and secured P3 at the finish. The 22-year-old is now only twelve points adrift of the lead in the championship standings of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
Jeffrey, you got away to a mega start and were in P3 at the end of the first lap despite the tricky conditions.
It was almost a case of déjà vu. It rained last year here at Spielberg just before the Porsche Carrera Cup race. We went for full wets back then but bolted on slicks this time. Track conditions were extremely unpredictable to begin with, because only a certain section of the track was completely dry. It’s not easy to drive on slicks without ABS and keep the car on the track while travelling on the limit. Unfortunately, we had no time to adjust our setup from wet to dry, otherwise, we might even have been able to fight for the win.
The three safety-car periods kept things on the boil, but you stayed calm on the restarts and comfortably left behind the championship leader to date.
I knew that I can do well at the Red Bull Ring. While he may have been the championship leader, he’s just the same as everyone else. I was sure that he would not take too many risks, so as not to jeopardise his championship lead. Ultimately, he would have had to force his way past, because only the racing line was properly dry. I then simply concentrated on my own race, which worked out really well.
You were impressive right at the start in qualifying. How did Saturday go for you?
There was quite a sizeable gap between me and the three guys in front. Slipstreaming down the long straights makes a big difference in qualifying at the Red Bull Ring. The Top Three were able to use it to their advantage, whereas I couldn’t, unfortunately. I might have been able to qualify further up front, but it wasn’t enough for pole position.
You are now in sixth place in the championship with a twelve-point deficit. What’s your recipe for success in the championship?
To take everything as it comes from race to race and to put on a good show. I also have to concentrate on not going nuts at race weekends. I try to avoid working out where I need to finish in the standings and other unnecessary distractions. For me, it’s all about having fun in the sport, and everything else stems from that. If it all goes well, then I can finish on top in the end. That’s my recipe for success.
Racing continues at Silverstone next weekend. You still have a score to settle at the legendary circuit.
We underperformed last year with tenth place. That was the first time that I’d ever contested a race from start to finish at Silverstone. Another factor was that we didn’t do any testing there. We’ll just have to ensure that we’re on song right from the beginning. Silverstone is the most difficult of all the circuits that have still to come as far as we’re concerned. That’s why the name of the game is to secure as many points as possible. After Silverstone, we can then really make it crack at the tracks where we do really well – Hockenheim, Budapest and Monza.
