Mari Boya, close to his objective at the Red Bull Ring

Post Austria

• The driver scored a point in a weekend where better results were deserved.

 

• Boya proved to be capable of fighting at the top, but the closeness within the grid left him unable to progress.

 

• Boya: “We had what we needed to be up there, so we are not entirely satisfied with the result. We will keep working to consolidate our pace”.

Round 7 of Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine followed a pattern that was similar to the previous event in Spa-Francorchamps. Mari Boya had a solid, competitive weekend, but the obtained reward did not match the effort and the job done.

The pace was promising from the beginning. Free Practice sessions were held on Friday and the Van Amersfoort Racing driver displayed his abilities since FP1, a session he finished in sixth place. From Friday, it was clear that the grid was going to be really close, especially within the Top 15. A tenth could be worth several positions.

That happened in Qualifying 1, where Boya finished half a second away from Pole. However, most drivers lapped in similarly competitive times and the young Spaniard had to settle for 12th place on the grid.

On the Race, Boya held his position at the start. Overtaking turned out to be extremely difficult, so the driver found himself stuck behind a rival, unable to gain up. Boya put the pressure, he tried to find a gap until he, eventually, won a place. The Catalan driver was eleventh, but he did not have much time left and saw the chequered flag on that position. A few hours later, a driver got penalized, allowing Mari to finish in tenth, earning a point.

One more qualifying session and another race were to be faced on Sunday. This time, Boya achieved good lap time on qualifying, giving him eighth on the grid of Race 2. Unfortunately, the lap got deleted because of track limits and he qualified in an underwhelming 13th position.

Boya gained a position at the start. Again, his pace matched the one of those who were fighting in higher spots. However, he was, once again, stuck behind a slower car. Gaining the position was complicated, but Boya gave his best to try and make the move. The pass could not be made, and the rookie driver crossed the line in twelfth place. The overall result was below the expectations, but the potential proves that working to get those needed tenths will be worth it.

Boya: “I felt stronger this weekend than I did on the previous ones. We had what we needed to be up there, so we are not entirely satisfied with the result. We will keep working to consolidate our pace and obtain the result we are looking for. Many thanks to the team, to my sponsors and partners, to my family and to everyone supporting us”. 

Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine season is coming to its end. In two weeks, on September 25-26, the championship will hold a second meeting in Spain. The series will visit Circuito Ricardo Tormo, in Valencia.

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