Interview
Inthraphuvasak revels in alternate strategy charge and top five finish in Spielberg
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak was one of the starring drivers on Sunday as he came through the pack late on in the Feature Race to claim a top five finish.
The ART Grand Prix driver ran the alternative strategy, using the Supersoft tyres for a short final stint to go hunting and overtaking with a pace advantage whilst also having to manage them in order to get to the end.
Speaking after the race on Sunday, the Thai driver said that it was a well-executed race and weekend from himself and the team. In fact, he felt that the result could have been even stronger if one or two details had gone their way.
"Honestly, kind of bittersweet because I think the result could have been better today. I think being on the alternate strategy definitely worked out for us today. The race overall went very well.
"I'm very happy to have taken a step back to where we belong this weekend. Hopefully this continues for the rest of the season. Happy to score some good points for myself and the team in the Feature Race.
"However, I think if lap one for myself was a bit better, I think we could have ended up third on the podium. A shame that we didn't get lap one nailed in.
"I think I was too safe on my side just because I didn't want what happened yesterday to happen today. I wanted to kind of have a clean race overall, but that was not the right decision, and we fell back quite a lot in the beginning.
"The stint on Softs, we were one of the fastest and catching Ollie, who was in the lead of the alternate strategy battle. The pace in the race has been awesome. A good few battles with the guys in the last stint as well. A fun race overall, which is positive."
Going into more detail about that final stint that saw him rise up the top 10 and challenge Invicta Racing's Rafael Câmara for fourth position, Inthraphuvasak explained the tough balancing act he had to manage.
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With the heat rising and time running out, he says that making overtakes stick early once his tyres were up to temperature was a crucial factor.
He also believes that with one more lap, he might have been able to pass the Brazilian for P4.
"Supersofts in a hot track temp like this weekend was super difficult. I had to push to pass the guys in front on the different strategy, but also kind of save the Supersofts because I think I had eight push laps to go.
"For sure if I pushed too much, I would have degged in the end, and they might have passed me back again. Coming out of the pits, it was tight with the guys on the other strategy.
"After a few laps, I managed to overtake the guys in front. I think if I had been a bit quicker or we had one more lap, I think I would have caught Câmara as well. Overall, a very good race though."
Focus now switches to Silverstone as the British venue rounds out the second double-header of the 2026 campaign.
The Thai driver is looking forward to getting back underway at a venue he's enjoyed in the recent past. He will be looking to carry the positive progression in Spielberg into the Silverstone weekend.
"Just bringing the momentum forward. I think the pace has been strong all year. It's just about putting it together, and I think I found my different approach this weekend.
"I'm really happy about that and I'm looking forward to carrying it on into Silverstone. It's a track that I enjoy a lot. I obviously live in the UK as well, so it's an easy trip from home.
"Really looking forward to bringing the pace we have here to Silverstone. In the past, I've had good results there. I won last year, so I'm really looking forward to it."