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The Dutchman, fielded by Koiranen GP and part of theMcLaren
F.1 junior program, won both races in the opening round at Imola.
He stopped by to share his thoughts after a sensational weekend
H
Hedominated theopening roundof theF.Renault
ALPS championship at Imola. NyckDeVries,
born in1995, camehome from Italywithnew
trophies to add tohis cabinet.With twopoles and
twowins, he recorded theperfect results inwhat
wouldbe adream season start for anydriver.
“It’sbeen aweekend to remember - says the
Dutchman, lined-upbyKoiranenGP - twowins
and twopolepositions are agreat way to start a
season, although I know that it will be a long and
difficult one. The series’ general level is extremely
high”.
Nyck first scored thepole for Race1with a
drying racetrack, when finding the rightmoment
toput slick tires onwas key. “Maybewehave
been a littlebit lucky in that, but the team
definitelymademe switch tires at the right
moment. It was flawless strategy. From that point
on, we kept improvinguntil we logged thequick
lap that eventuallyput us on top. They reallydid a
great job and I thank them somuch”.
InRace1, the situationgot complicatedby a
safety-car period. “The racehasbeen a tough
one, but in the endweheldonto agreat win.We
needed to stay focused inorder to avoidgetting
trapped in the various race situations. Anyway,
the car felt great. I found the right pace forme
and kept it throughout thewholeday, cruising to
victory.” From theoutside, it seemed apretty
easy task for Nyck, who thenwent on to
dominateRace2, showing an incrediblepace.
“Needless to say, it’s never easy, but Race2has
been very good for us. It provedquiteuneventful
so I had the chance to showour full potential all
the time. And again, we cruised towin also
thanks to a car that wasperfectly set-up and
assistedby the team”.
So it’sbeen a spectacular season start, and the
folks at theMcLarenF.1 junior project shouldbe
pretty impressed. “I think so.We always had a
very good relationship. I go there twice amonth,
wedo somemeetings andwe evaluatehow
thingsprogress. A lot of people askme aboutmy
future, but wehaven’t decided anything yet. It’s
way too early. Let’s seehow this championship
will turnout first”.
DeVries, the
