Interview
Joshua Duerksen was delighted to end the “most enjoyable year" of his career with a clean sweep of both sessions on day two of post-season testing at Yas Marina Circuit.
The AIX Racing driver was in sublime form on the Supersoft tyre to start the day, his 1:35.583 was over three-tenths quicker than his nearest rival, MP Motorsport’s Richard Verschoor.
He returned in the afternoon focusing on his long run pace before bolting on the softer compound again at the end of the day to go fastest on a 1:36.553, over a tenth faster than Trident’s Max Esterson.
READ MORE: Duerksen sweeps day two of Yas Marina post-season test
Reflecting on the day after jumping out of the cockpit, Duerksen was pleased with how things went but revealed it was not the most perfect of days.
“A really good day I must say,” said Duerksen. “The car was quite good today, especially in the morning, it was perfect for me. I think we founda good baseline for Qualifying, the car was flying, and I felt comfortable.
“Track grip for sure is high as well because of F1 testing and us testing these two days, so I was really happy to be honest. We made some good progress like I said, we found a good setup, and in the afternoon, we did some race runs, but I was not fully happy with that.
“So, I think we have some work to do there, but then from there we put on a good tyre, just to do a push lap again and we finished P1, and the car felt very good again.
“So, I guess the car feels better on quali than on race runs, so we have to work better on the race run. But it was a really enjoyable day, we did many laps, discovered many things which will help the team to improve the car.”
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Asked what he was not happy with on his race runs, Duerksen added: “The car balance throughout the run. On Sunday it was perfect, today I was struggling a bit more and it makes a big difference on the laptime.
“I think we need to figure out what happened today, compare it to Sunday where it was different, so let's see what we can find out.”
This is Duerksen’s final day in the car this year with Nicolas Varrone set to take over the #24 car tomorrow.
It brings and end to a strong rookie season for the Paraguayan driver, one in which he won both a Sprint and Feature Race, finished 10th in the Championship Standings and scored 87 of AIX’s 105 points.
“This was an incredible year for the team and myself, for sure it's the most enjoyable year I have had all my career,” Duerksen said.
“If you look at the progress last year, the team had zero points and this year we finished with over 100 points. Me as well, feeling more and more comfortable with the car, getting to know the little tricks we have to do with the car with my driving style to be quicker.
“So, I am feeling connected with the car, today was my last day with the car, I will for sure miss it, I love feeling the speed and the G Forces, but for sure I enjoyed every lap this year.”