Collecting trophies in Hockenheim: Another podium for Jeffrey Schmidt
Jeffrey Schmidt and Hockenheim go really well together! The Swiss driver again finished on the podium in the sixth round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, staged under the Formula 1 banner. Since 2015, Schmidt has lined up seven times at the Hockenheimring in the Porsche one-make cup and has finished on the podium six times. He has moved up into third place in this top-class championship by taking his second podium finish of the current Supercup season.
Jeffrey, another podium at Hockenheim. How pleased are you with third place?
I’m not quite satisfied, because the Hockenheimring is our home track, and second place or even a win would have been really great. Things didn’t go according to plan in qualifying. I’m certain that pole would have been possible. You’re half-way there when you start up front. You then just need to have your wits about you as you defend and no one can get by. We’d hoped for more, but third place is still a top-notch result in this strong field of drivers.
In the race itself, you managed to get away to a terrific start from fourth place on the grid…
The starts have gone really well in the past few Supercup races. I knew that my chances of a podium finish were good if I could manage to keep out of trouble in the first corner, and I was super successful. Passing the guy in front on the outside is difficult when you stick to the rules, so I focused 110 percent on achieving the perfect start, and I can defend myself pretty well in the Porsche anyway.
The safety car came out on track after a collision. Did that help or hinder you?
I don’t think it helped my race at all, because up until that point, I’d been able to keep pace with the leading pair and secure my rear, but I couldn’t quite match the pace of the two guys up front after the safety car had returned to the pits. Perhaps that was because my tyre temperatures were not in the optimum working window on the re-start. A small gap opened up as a result, and I dropped out of their slipstream, which makes a difference of two to three tenths here. We’d noticed it earlier in qualifying when I dropped out of the slipstream, and it was exactly this amount of time that stopped me from securing a place on the front row.
You’ve now got a four-week break before things kick off again in the Supercup. What do you plan to do with your free time?
I’m going to spend some time at home first, since I’ve not been home for ten days on the trot recently because of the two back-to-back race weekends. I intend to concentrate more on my fitness. I’m on a semester break at the moment and have no worries about needing to study. I will then take a week’s holiday on Rhodes. I’m really looking forward to it, because I’ve never been there before. I’ll spend the last two weeks travelling around France and Germany as a driving instructor to help drivers interested in racing. It’s great to be able to give something back from what you’ve learned as a racing driver over the years.
You’ll be heading to Spa-Francorchamps on the weekend of 26th – 28th August. How do you personally rate the circuit?
Spa is definitely one of my absolute favourites. It’s especially challenging for the driver. I like it when a circuit has a touch of ‘old school’ about it and a great motor racing history. Spa with its gravel beds undoubtedly falls into that category. The track layout is one giant roller-coaster that will really suit me, hopefully. It’s not so easy to find the limit there as compared to newer circuits where everything is covered in tarmac, but I’m only too ready to accept the challenge. The races are always great and the fans just terrific into the bargain.
