Van Amersfoort Racing completed a heavy two-day test at Monza this week, as they prepare for the next round of the FIA European F3 Championship at Spa-Francorchamps.
The Dutch squad ran all three of their drivers at the famed Italian autodromo, as they aim to configure their Dallara-Volkswagen machines for Spa’s high-speed sections.
As slipstreaming is a very real possibility from the opening corner at La Source, through Eau Rouge and onto the Kemmel Straight – with further opportunities to race past fellow competitors along the curving Blanchimont section – understanding how these cars operate in these conditions could prove critical come next weekend.
Running with their compliment of three rookies – Max Verstappen, Gustavo Menezes and Jules Szymkowiak – the team banked 233 laps of Monza on Wednesday, with an additional 150 tours coming the following day.
Verstappen emerged the quickest, setting a time of 1:44.637s during the Thursday morning running, although the Dutch racer lost plenty of time on the second day, as his gearbox gave up. The team sent Verstappen back out with a half-hour remaining, but the onset of rain ended chances of a hard run.
Completing 129 tours, Szymkowiak was the busiest of the trio as he recorded a quickest tour of 1:45.248s; while Menezes’ best was just a few thousandths further off the pace, after completing a “lean run” to end his test.
The test was run alongside a number of 2.0 Formula Renault entrants and several Formula 4 drivers.
Verstappen currently sits 5th in the European Championship standings with one victory and two podiums from eleven races.
