Final straight
After Estoril in March and following Barcelona, the GP3 had an appointment with the track of Valencia, Spain, for a last general rehearsal before the opening of the Championship, on 13 May in Barcelona. “I hardly knew the track since I only made half a day of trials, unexpectedly. It’s a complete track and it’s always interesting to work with new parameters, in new conditions. It is useful to discover new things,” Anthoine explains.
Simulations
In Valencia, last drop point of wintry trials, under a spring sunshine, emphasis was put on simulations. Trial simulations, meaning pure performance, and race simulations. Anthoine pointed at the top of the hierarchy in the morning of the two trial days, before to finally rank in the 4th and 10th places. “The difference wa s very small!” he noted, “10th about 3 tenths from the first one, that gives you an idea of the competitiveness level on the track! Personally, I had some difficulties, but it’s useful to be confronted with them now, I can learn and progress to be ready for the opening of the Championship. I understood where my difficulties came from and I feel confident I will find a solution.”
To play a leading role
With 200 laps on the counter, without any mechanical or climate issues, Anthoine had the opportunity to work on the fundamentals of the GP3, but also for the purpose of the weekend, the race. “I have to be performing, preserving the tyres because their degradation is fast and intense”, Anthoine says, “I think I have made a good step forward in this domain throughout the two trial days and it was crucial for purposes of the first races. In Barcelona, it’s important to be involved right away because we have a very few rolling before the qualifications and the race. From this point of view, I think our background work has been really positive and I look forward to be in Barcelona.”
