Guest Column
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak’s rookie season got off to a fine start in Melbourne with two points scoring results to get his 2026 campaign up and running.
The Thai driver was however disappointed to miss out on a maiden podium in the Sprint Race, finishing fourth after starting from reverse pole.
But overall, it was a positive start to the season, giving Inthraphuvasak and ART Grand Prix a nice foundation to build on for the rest of the year.
“So first weekend of the year, first round of the year, I think overall it was a very positive weekend for us. Scoring points in both races and sitting P5 in the Championship is not a bad way to start the season.
“For sure there was a lot more potential, especially in the Sprint Race, but I think I learned a lot throughout the weekend, and just collected some experience for the rounds ahead.
“I am happy with how the team is working, how everything is coming together, so I am looking forward to what is to come.”
“The pace was super strong. Since the beginning of the weekend in Free Practice it was very good. I made a mistake in FP that got us into a crash but that didn't set us back at all.
“I think looking at Qualifying, it was a very messy session, but we still managed a top 10, so a lot of opportunities were open for both races, and I think I managed both quite well.
“I am happy with how I am performing right now, I am performing at a very high level, so I am happy with everything. But I have to continue pushing forward with the team to achieve some better results in the future for sure.”
“It was a very long race. Starting from P10 we had a lot of pace, so we progressed through the pack and I was sitting P5 at one point, I think.
“But there are a lot of things I have to learn. I pushed a bit too hard mid race which meant that at the end of the race I didn't have any tyres left to keep up with Miyata and a few other guys.
“In the end, we had to settle with P6 but for sure I learned a lot through the race. I think we also as a team have to find out as well why we struggled so much in the end of the race.
“But overall, it is super positive start, considering we started from P10. I think if we started a bit more Ahead then the podium was definitely possible.”