DAMS driver Jüri Vips secured the first podium of his FIA Formula 2 Championship career during the Sprint Race in Mugello, following an impressive seventh-place finish in the Feature Race on just his third weekend with the team.
Vips will remain in the car for round 10 of the 2020 season in Sochi while Sean Gelael continues his recovery from injury.
Jüri Vips: “I’m really happy with the points that the team scored this weekend. It wasn’t quite perfect, I didn’t fully maximise the car’s potential as there was the possibility of a podium in the Feature Race and I think we could have won today had I made a better start. But I’m very thankful to DAMS for this opportunity and glad to repay them with this result. We sorted some of the elementary issues that were present in Spa and Monza while I was still acclimatising, and I was immediately fast in free practice and qualifying, just 0.350 seconds from pole position. The pace was there and the car was good, and I’m now really focused on just putting a full weekend together. It’s a great pleasure to be continuing in the car for Sochi and I’m hopeful that we can fight for the win.”
François Sicard, Managing Director: “This is a good conclusion to the weekend with a first podium for Jüri. However, the result was not quite as good as we perhaps expected based on the pace of the drivers and the car, especially after a very encouraging free practice session where Jüri was fastest. We then built on that promise in qualifying with Dan producing a very impressive lap to start the Feature Race on the front row, just 0.005 seconds short of pole position. Unfortunately, Jüri made a little mistake on his lap, nevertheless he clinched seventh spot on the grid, which became 10th after he picked up a penalty for impeding.”
