Most successful rookie on race debut at Spa-Francorchamps
Swiss youngster Jeffrey Schmidt made his race debut on one of the most famous circuits in the world, competing in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, a support series to Formula 1, at Spa-Francorchamps. A seventh and a fifth place in the two races made him the most successful of all the series newcomers. Jeffrey has now moved up into the runner-up spot in the rookie standings.
Jeffrey, although this is your third year in the Porsche brand trophy series, it’s only the first time that you have raced at Spa-Francorchamps. Was it as spectacular an experience in the cockpit as it is for the fans watching on TV?
It certainly was! Spa already looks breathtaking on a TV screen, but if you’re actually one of the drivers in the race, it’s stunning. Every single lap is spectacular, and on several of the corners, I was driving at the limit. That’s because the Porsche has nowhere near as much downforce as a Formula 1 car. Eau Rouge in particular was amazing. We approach in sixth gear at around 255kph as we go downhill, then slightly lift off the pedal and take the corner itself in fifth gear. On television, you can’t really appreciate how steep the descent and the ascent are.
In the first of the two races, you fought your way forward from tenth to seventh place. Are you satisfied with your performance?
Although I don’t set out to finish seventh, it was OK in the circumstances. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to put in a perfect lap in qualifying. From tenth on the grid, I got off to a good start and gained several positions. Overtaking is quite difficult at Spa because the slipstream effect makes all the cars equally fast. So a gain of three places is actually a decent achievement.
In the second race on Sunday, you scored more vital points with a P5 finish. How would you sum up this race?
After the first race, we made a change to our setup. This worked great, and my car went like a rocket. From eighth on the grid, I moved up to fifth. I even got myself into a position where I could have pushed for a podium, but I then lost some time behind another car. We went through Eau Rouge side by side. It was incredibly close; the other car was half a metre ahead of me, and I didn’t want to risk a collision, so I backed off for safety reasons. That was a little annoying, but by finishing fifth, we scored good points.
You were the most successful series newcomer on the Spa-Francorchamps race weekend. Do you think you are in with a chance of winning the rookie championship?
After the two races at Spa, I’ve moved up to second place in the rookie classification. The gap between me and the leader isn’t all that great, and I will keep battling away to the end. We still have four races ahead of us this season in which a lot can happen. Halfway through the campaign, I unfortunately had some bad luck that set me back. But as long as the overall package is right, I can compete with the front-runners. So winning the rookie championship is definitely my target.
The famous actor Patrick Dempsey also drove in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in Belgium. Did you meet him at the weekend?
I already know Patrick from last year. I met him during a Porsche Test at Hockenheim when he was in the next marquee to us. We had a pleasant chat, and I gave him a few tips. I think it’s great that Patrick was competing alongside us. It meant that the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup received even more media attention. And the best part is that Patrick isn’t just a Hollywood star who does it for kicks. He has many years of racing experience and is very professional. It’s a lot more fun to race against guys like Patrick or record World Rally Championship winner Sebastien Loeb.
Your next high-speed outing is in two weeks’ time. On the weekend of 4th to 6th September, you’ll be competing in the context of Formula 1 at Monza…
I’m really looking forward to Monza. Once again, it will be a track I’ve never raced on before, which will certainly be an exciting challenge. It’s a circuit with a great history, and it also means a lot to me personally. In the official Porsche tests this year, we were fastest, which gives me a lot of confidence. In the race, Turn 1 is very special. We arrive there at speeds of 280kph and have to brake extremely hard down to 60kph. Turn 1 could well be the hardest braking point on the entire racing calendar.
