DAMS Lucas Oil secures Feature Race podium at Spa-Francorchamps
DAMS Lucas Oil picked up another Feature Race podium, as Jak Crawford showed strong pace throughout the weekend to finish third in Spa.
In the Sprint Race, Crawford gained two places to secure fifth in a shortened event due to heavy rain. Less than half of the laps were completed, meaning he scored a point, while Juan Manuel Correa finished 17th.
On Sunday, the Aston Martin Driver Development Programme member lined up in fourth, retaining his position before pitting on Lap 9. Crawford then drove a solid stint on the medium tyre, setting an excellent pace throughout to secure the final step on the podium, his third top-three finish in the last five Feature Race.
In the #8 car, Correa would show good speed after going on the alternate strategy, pitting on Lap 17 before passing his way through the field to finish in 11th.
Jak Crawford: “I’m delighted to get another Feature Race podium and to round off a very solid weekend. We looked strong despite the changing conditions throughout the weekend, so I’m pleased to deliver this podium for the team who have worked incredibly hard in this busy section of the season. We know how good of a race car we’ve got so I was always confident of achieving a result like this. It’s a brilliant way to go into the summer break and the aim is to come back from this time off even stronger.”
Qualifying: 4th | Sprint Race: 5th (+1 point) | Feature Race: 3rd (+15 points)
Juan Manuel Correa: “It was great to have some battles when we put on the soft rubber towards the end of the race, and I only just missed out on the top-10. It has been a challenging weekend from my side, but it could’ve ended in points, which shows the potential in the car. The schedule has been hectic recently, so the summer break will be good to assess the season so far, and we’ll hope to finish the year on a high.”
Qualifying: 14th | Sprint Race: 17th | Feature Race: 11th
Charles Pic, Team Owner: “I’m happy for us to be on the podium again and to see Jak continuing his excellent form! We improved in qualifying, which is a big positive and we’ll look to learn from what we did differently for the remainder of the season. Jak was looking good for a strong haul of points on Saturday after making up positions at the start, but it was the right decision to end the race early with the worsening conditions. In the Feature Race, we lacked a bit of straight-line speed, and we need to analyse this issue, but Jak drove excellently to come third. With JM on the alternate strategy, we waited for a Safety Car which never came but he managed to make up a few positions to secure P11. It’s a great way to go into the break and the team deserves this for all their hard work over the last six weeks!”
Image: Dutch Photo Agency