The Red Bull Ring in Spielberg is a very special stage: fast straights, hard braking zones and the spectacular mountain backdrop make the track unique. However, this weekend was doubly special for Gian Luca Tüccaroglu, as he celebrated his birthday here on Thursday, September 11 - and gave himself the gift of strong performances on the track.
Strong start to the free practice sessions
The free practice sessions already showed that the package was right. He finished twentieth in the first session, but then improved significantly. With ninth place in the second and even fifth place in the third practice session, he proved that the pace was there and that a place in the top ten was absolutely realistic. He felt really comfortable in the car, especially in the final sessions, and the mood in the team was correspondingly optimistic.
Qualifying - The pace is there
Qualifying, however, brought disillusionment. In the first session, it started to rain after just two laps. Gian Luca got stuck in traffic, was only able to set one fast lap and then had to watch as this was also canceled. Things got even worse in the second session: he lost the front splitter right at the start and was therefore unable to set a free, competitive lap. In the end, he was only 26th on the grid for the first race and 19th for the second - a result that did not reflect the true speed of the practice sessions at all. But Gian Luca immediately made it clear that he would not be discouraged by this. A race lasts thirty minutes and there are two chances to show what he's made of.
Race 1 - From the very back into the points
He proved just that on Saturday. Starting from 26th on the grid, he immediately attacked and plowed through the field. After just four laps, he was in 18th place, but then he made contact and was spun. Despite the setback, he fought his way back and even though the race was characterized by many safety car phases and even a red flag, he made perfect use of the remaining six laps of free racing. In the end, he crossed the finish line in thirteenth place - a sensational fightback with the most overtaking maneuvers of the entire field.
Race 2 - A bitter end
Sunday began with renewed confidence. The car had been perfectly prepared again after the night, the team had done a great job and Gian Luca wanted to make the best of grid position 19. But this time he had no luck. After a penalty lap with a caution light, an unfortunate situation arose when a competitor behind him crashed into the rear of his Porsche. The race ended prematurely and he was denied a strong result.
Conclusion - take positives with you, look ahead
Despite the bitter retirement on Sunday, the positives outweigh the negatives. The training performance with top 5 speed showed that he is absolutely competitive on this track. His incredible leap from 26th to 13th place in the first race underlined his fighting qualities and speed. Even if qualifying misfortune and the unfortunate collision on Sunday distorted the results, the weekend remains further proof of his progress and development.
Now the focus is on the future: the season finale awaits in Hockenheim, where Gian Luca wants to show once again what he is really capable of.
