Inthraphuvasak: 'Points the perfect way to repay the team'

It was a weekend of mixed fortunes for Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, but an impressive comeback drive on Sunday meant he left Madrid with points.

The ART Grand Prix driver suffered a sizeable crash during the opening Practice session of the round, leaving him sidelined for Qualifying and going from the back of the grid.

Using the Safety Car timing to his advantage, the Thai driver was able to launch his way back into the points with sixth position.

Reflecting on the weekend overall, Inthraphuvasak said it was nice to have luck on his side and to reward his team for their hard work.

"After Friday, I never expected to be in this position," Inthraphuvasak admitted. "But I knew that on Sunday, anything could happen - it's Formula 2.

"We saved a set of Softs because we didn't do Qualifying. So I had an extra set of Softs today and we went for the gamble on the strategy and it paid off. So it feels good to turn things around. Obviously, luck was on our side today, but it's a bit of luck I think we were owed.

"It feels good to have such a good turnaround. I have to say a massive thanks to the team for making it possible for me to get back into the weekend after the crash on Friday, I think it was a really big one. So I owe it to them for the points I scored this weekend."

The ART driver also reflected on how difficult the weekend was without accumulating the mileage of his rivals.

After his crash left him out of Practice and on the sidelines for Qualifying, he was very happy with the speed he and the team were able to show having taken lessons from Saturday's Sprint Race.

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He added that it boded well for the remainder of the season, with his points on Sunday adding to his Feature Race scoring streak that goes back to Round 6.

"It is very satisfying. Track time was very crucial with it being a new track for everyone and not an easy one as well.

"So everything was about track time on Friday and unfortunately we had none. So yesterday in the Sprint Race, it was about collecting the mileage and learning the track as much as possible and getting prepared as much as possible for today.

"I think the pace was really, really good today and it was a positive after what happened on Friday."

Up next will be Baku, another new track for Inthraphuvasak and many on the 2026 grid. The very fast street circuit will put drivers to the test once more, but after his Madrid comeback, Inthraphuvasak says he's carrying confidence into Round 12.

"I really can't wait to get back in the car. I think this weekend prepares all the drivers, not just myself, very well for Baku.

"It's a street circuit again, but one that I have never been to. So, same process as this weekend, learn as much as possible on the sim and try to start on a very good level FP.

"It's been a few good rounds, a bit of a setback this weekend, but I'm sure that I'm going to be back on top of it very soon."