Cordeel: ‘Time left on the table but P10 a good place to be’

2 June 2023

Amaury Cordeel will line up on reverse grid pole for tomorrow’s Sprint Race, but the Invicta Virtuosi Racing driver believes there was more to come in Qualifying.

The Belgian left his final effort until late on with the track theoretically at its quickest. But, having stepped out of the car and reflected on the session, Cordeel believes that a top five result was a possibility. Teammate Jack Doohan was able to secure third in the session, and Cordeel says that he wouldn’t have been far off had he taken a few more risks.

“I think it was an ok session. The first run we did – it was a bit messy. But, I didn’t get quite on the limit so I think that’s why we’re P10 and not in the top five because the first run, I wasn’t on the limit and on the second run, I still left a few corners on the table. But P10 is a good way to start for decent points looking at tomorrow. We’re starting from pole so looking for some points or a podium.”

While some teams and drivers opted to go out earlier in the session to put in their final Qualifying laps, Invicta Virtuosi was one of the teams that ran later than most.

Cordeel says that the track ramped up right at the end which helped him secure a top 10 starting position for both races, as he got his eye in more and more as the session unfolded.

“It’s also fuel related. We can’t refuel between sessions so it’s that as well as a bit of track evolution which led to the times coming down. And a bit of driving also!

“You can’t do a mistake. With this F2 car, it’s really easy to do a mistake so you have to be clean in every corner to do a good lap. I think I left a bit of margin but P10 is a good way to start.”

Refocusing his attention to tomorrow, Cordeel is aiming to get a clean start to capitalise on such a strong starting position. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya features one of the longest runs from the grid into Turn 1. It means he will have to remain sharp off the line to keep those behind him at bay.

With the teams accumulating plenty of data during the in-season test at the Barcelona track last month, tyre degradation is very much the focus of the race weekend. Along with the typically high levels of wear experienced in Spain, the new layout and removal of the final chicane in favour of another high-speed right hander will put even greater stress through the Pirelli rubber.

“I think I just have to keep my head cool, have a good start and we’ll see how it goes. At the test we had a good car but we still have to see. It’s different conditions here now so we’ll see. Tyre degradation has always been a big factor in Barcelona so I think that’s the key point. We’ll see tomorrow though.”