Van Amersfoort Racing’s Nael braced for tough weekend in Sakhir heat

Théophile Nael started his FIA Formula 3 career on the front foot, earning a maiden Feature Race podium with P3 in Melbourne, and the Frenchman has his sights set on a repeat this weekend in Sakhir.

The Van Amersfoort Racing driver proved competitive from the very outset in Australia, but the challenge this weekend will be an altogether different one to the street circuit of Albert Park.

Temperatures are very different to those experienced during in-season testing, and while he says the team were able to make progress across the three-day event, the race weekend is an altogether different prospect considering the conditions.

“I’m feeling great, it’s a bit too hot but everyone will be dealing with the same,” he admitted. “I feel pretty good coming into Round 2. The test went well. We tried many things on the car, to try and improve it, but we have to keep in mind, the track conditions are a lot different than during the test. So, we’ll see but we’re feeling confident.”

Expanding on his early season form, Nael said that the team will be looking to execute a clean weekend, but the test means their approach is slightly different to normal.

With banks of data to look back on from testing and with everyone already familiar with the track itself, it will be a different proposition, but he has no illusions that he and VAR will still have to work hard for a good result.

“It’s going to be helpful for Qualifying especially. I’ll be trying to put a really good laptime on the board. But it’s a different approach to other weekends having run testing here a few weeks ago. It’ll be similar to Melbourne for the rest of the season, with just one Free Practice and then going straight into Qualifying.

“We have to keep working hard and putting things together in order to maximise our performance. With the new car, in the high-speed corner, the stability and stability under braking is an improvement compared to the previous car.

“Also with degradation, it’s a lot better on the new tyres. We could follow and overtake, so I think it’s going to be an exciting weekend here.”

With the track surface more abrasive than other venues on the F3 calendar, tyres are already under a lot of stress. With the high temperatures expected across the weekend, tyre preservation will be even tougher, as Nael explained how he will have to adapt his approach to assess how the Pirelli tyres wear.

“My approach for the races this weekend will be to start the races slow and then lap after lap try to gain some positions, while managing the tyres in the best possible way.

“The key will be to get the warm-up process right. Not too quick but not too slow either. We’ll try to find the right window for the tyres, which will be a challenge for everyone.”

Looking ahead to the races, Nael has one objective in mind, with points the most important priority for him and VAR this weekend.

However, after taking to the rostrum in his maiden F3 weekend, he has his sights firmly set on repeating the feat again in Bahrain.

“Another podium is the objective, but the Championship is very long, with plenty of races ahead. We’ll try to score points but if a podium presents itself, I’ll take it.”