Cordeel looking for ‘redemption’ in Jeddah after missing out on podium in 2024

Amaury Cordeel says he is eyeing a podium this weekend in Jeddah after narrowly missing out on one in 2024, as he also talked through his first few weeks as a Rodin Motorsport driver.

In last year’s Feature Race, Cordeel’s alternative strategy worked brilliantly and with the timing of a Safety Car, he found himself in third place heading onto the final lap.

However, in a battle to the line, he lost out to Dennis Hauger and Jak Crawford and wound up in fifth – his second-best result in Formula 2 after his P4 in the Imola Sprint Race in 2024.

PREVIEW: Gearing up for Round 3 in Jeddah

Looking ahead to the weekend, the 22-year-old says he is looking to make up for that disappointment.

“I’m feeling good,” said Cordeel. “I just think I need to sort out Qualifying because pace-wise, I think we have been up there in Bahrain.

“Last year, Jeddah was good for me, but still I need redemption for last year because I lost a podium in the last corner. I want some redemption, and I will do my best to get it this year.”

Speaking more about his Qualifying struggles as he assessed his season so far, Cordeel explained how his troubles on Friday affected his chances on Sunday in Bahrain.

“It’s been pretty okay,” said Cordeel when asked how his season had been going. “We didn't have the results in Bahrain that we wanted because I had a bad Qualifying. But we did two good races where we went from P21 to P11 and P12.

What to Watch For: Storylines to look out for at Round 3 in Jeddah

“So, we made up some good positions, but I think everything starts with Quali. I didn't put the lap together which cost me P21 in Quali, and also got my lap deleted, so it was not ideal. I just have to improve quali, and it will be better then.”

Cordeel acknowledges that he has had to play catchup to the rest of his rivals this year having missed pre-season testing. He also revealed this means he is still adapting to a different driving style at his new team.

When asked what he has had to adapt, the Belgian replied: “Every team has a different setup. You have the different driving styles, but they are always dependent on the kind of setup.

“The one from Hitech is different to the one from Rodin now, and you always have to adapt a bit, because tyre management also becomes different. For example, if you have a car more on the nose, or more on the rear, the driving style is different.”

The other challenge for Cordeel this week comes in the form of the Jeddah circuit, a high-speed, tight, street track, where he says you have to limit your mistakes in Qualifying.

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If he can do that, the Rodin driver has outlined what a successful weekend would look like for him, especially in his search for redemption.

“The goal is obviously to score as many points as possible,” he said. “So, two times P1 would be great but we have to be realistic. For sure points is the main goal, but redemption is a podium. So, that's the goal.”