F4 victor and late season improvements: Amaury Cordeel on the moments that made him

12 September 2023

Amaury Cordeel is once again on a great run of form in the closing races of a Formula 2 season. The Invicta Virtuosi Racing driver remembers the 2022 stint of points finishes fondly, alongside several other key moments in his career.

The Belgian driver details the biggest moments on his journey to Formula 2.

SPANISH FORMULA 4 TITLE, 2018

“I think the biggest one was winning Formula 4. I think it's one of my best memories. It was also quite a thrilling race, decided in the last round. I had a penalty so had to start at the back, but I was still able to eventually go to the front. I think we had to finish at least seventh and we made the move on the last lap so that was quite exciting. We won by eight points, so it was really close. It’s one of the biggest moments and where I had the most stress and pressure. It’s different compared to F2 because at that age, it was quite intense.

“I think my favourite race that year was Portimão. I missed FP1 that weekend because I had to do a test the day before. So, I had to fly the day after and only did FP2, went straight into Qualifying, got P2 and then won. It was my first win and definitely one of the best weekends I had along with Jerez. I won there and then went from P10 to P2 in the other race so those two races that year were very good.”

FIRST YEAR IN FORMULA RENAULT

“I would say my first year in Formula Renault as a rookie. In Hungary I finished P5 in Qualifying and then fifth in the race. I think it was quite a competitive field so to do that in my first year as a rookie, I was really, really happy with that. I think it was half wet and half dry, I’ve been pretty quick there in the past so it worked well.

“It was quite a messy lap with the conditions being as they were. As the lap was unfolding I wasn’t expecting it to be as high up, but eventually they told me on the radio that I finished top five which was really good. I was thinking that the lap was quite messy, so it was good to finish fifth.

“I think it was a wet race afterwards so it was a bit less stress because being at the front, there’s less spray whereas if you’re P10, the spray is a lot and you can’t see anything. Being at the front the visibility is much higher. It was easier to maintain that position and with it being Hungary, it’s not a place where overtaking is easy so that also played into my favour.”

ZANDVOORT, 2022

“Everything went well. I think I qualified P11 but ended up starting from P9. I made my way up to P6 which was my first point. We made a switch that weekend mentally. It was a point that I switched, and the pace came because the races afterwards were also really good. That was a big change in my career and how I approached things. That was definitely a good weekend.

“I like the circuit, I think it’s really nice. It can be a bit boring in the races because you can’t really overtake but over one lap, I think it’s a nice circuit. With the banking and the downhill fast right-hander of Turn 7, I think it’s a really nice combination they have there. You also don’t get a lot of moments to rest, so it’s quite a physical track which I like.

“It’s funny because I just went from quite stressed and feeling pressure that was on me, I just thought I have to drive it. If it’s bad, it’s bad. If it’s good, then it’s good. I just started thinking without pressure and just drove on feeling and not trying to stress or think too much. I just drove how I felt. I think it’s better to do it like that than to drive while overthinking. If you make a little mistake then you want to make up for it, then you do another mistake and then another. It’s a mentality of it’s going to work out. That’s what you have to believe in.”