{"id":935,"date":"2014-04-27T16:26:04","date_gmt":"2014-04-27T14:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/b106543.web05.cust.bluerange.se\/?p=935"},"modified":"2014-04-27T17:49:11","modified_gmt":"2014-04-27T15:49:11","slug":"felix-and-team-sweden-bag-maiden-fa1-podium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/felixracing.se\/en\/felix-and-team-sweden-bag-maiden-fa1-podium\/","title":{"rendered":"Felix and Team Sweden bag maiden FA1 podium"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Podium\"<\/a>Felix\u00a0gave Team Sweden\u00a0a maiden FA1 podium at Portim\u00e3o\u00a0on Sunday, although a late loss of engine power\u00a0forced him out\u00a0of an\u00a0exciting battle for victory.<\/p>\n

Felix once again found himself in the midst of a three-way fight up front, as\u00a0he slotted into third behind front\u00a0row starters Mirko Bortolotti (Team Italy)\u00a0and Nigel Melker (Team Netherlands)\u00a0in the first phase of the race.<\/p>\n

With a duration of 45 minutes and two compulsory pit stops, it didn’t take long\u00a0for the event to\u00a0turn into a strategic tussle, with Melker heading for the pits after just four laps to change his rear tyres. Felix\u00a0did likewise a tour later, this time without any issues a day on from\u00a0the 30-second delay suffered in Race 1<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Once Bortolotti re-joined the track after his first pit stop on lap six, the order was Italy ahead of Netherlands and Sweden, with the trio of cars running nose to tail throughout the middle stint.<\/p>\n

For the second pit stop sequence, Melker again opted for the so-called “undercut”, hoping to take advantage of fresher tyres to\u00a0improve track position.<\/p>\n

One lap\u00a0later,\u00a0Felix\u00a0and Bortolotti – now running second and first respectively –\u00a0both headed in,\u00a0setting up a potentially decisive showdown between the\u00a0Swedish and Italian pit crews. Both outfits produced quick turnarounds (Sweden doing a sub-seven second stop),\u00a0enabling Bortolotti to\u00a0keep his lead\u00a0and Felix to\u00a0leapfrog Melker.<\/p>\n

With eight more laps to go, the stage was set for a massive scrap\u00a0over victory –\u00a0although any hopes of that would unfortunately be short-lived for Felix. His Zytek engine suddenly lost power,\u00a0allowing Melker to drive past along the main straight and reclaim\u00a0second. Felix\u00a0lost in excess of three seconds per lap in the closing stages, but still managed\u00a0to limp home an unchallenged\u00a0third to secure a maiden FA1 podium.<\/p>\n

Felix\u00a0will be back behind the wheel again in just one week’s time, as the second round of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship\u00a0hits Hockenheim.<\/p>\n

FELIX:<\/p>\n

“This has been a very valuable experience for me, and this podium is for the team and all the hard work they’ve done over the weekend. It’s been great fun racing in FA1, and\u00a0I’ve\u00a0enjoyed every minute of\u00a0it.\u00a0Results-wise, it was a case of\u00a0what could have been for\u00a0us, and we would\u00a0at least have finished second today if\u00a0we hadn’t suffered those engine problems.\u00a0We’ve given the experienced guys a run for their money and I have definitely improved as a driver this weekend. I’d love to come back in the future, and I wish Team Sweden all the best in the meantime!”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

RESULTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"resukts\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n


\nFA1 Portim\u00e3o:<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

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