The fifth race weekend of the French Formula 4 Championship in Magny-Cours could have been very successful for Mathilda Paatz. In a strong qualifying session, the 16-year-old proved that the trust placed in her was fully justified: the Cologne-based driver qualified ninth in the top 10 for the first time, less than a tenth of a second behind seventh place. Paatz lost three places in the first race and just missed out on her first points in twelfth place. Although things did not go as hoped in the other two races, after a turbulent weekend, the joy of the performance shown in qualifying and the great progress in terms of duel behaviour, aggressiveness and lap times outweighs the disappointment.
The Motorsport Team Germany protégée made a successful start to the fifth race weekend of the season and quickly found her feet at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, which also hosted Formula 1 until 2008. In the important qualifying session, things went almost perfectly for Paatz this time. The top ten drivers were separated by less than a second, with the eighth-placed driver just three thousandths of a second away. With ninth place on the grid, the talented youngster achieved her best result of the season so far. ‘Things finally went according to plan in qualifying, even though I could actually have been a bit faster,‘ said the German Sports Drivers’ Association protégée, who has struggled with various difficulties so far and has therefore been unable to secure a good grid position at previous events.
But in Magny-Cours, Paatz had her sights set on a place in the top ten after a successful qualifying session and thus her first points. In the first race, the rider from Cologne got off to a good start and defended her place in the top 10 in the first half of the race, setting good lap times to pull away from her pursuers. In the end, however, Paatz crossed the finish line in twelfth place after the field had bunched up in the closing stages following a safety car period, giving the competition another chance to attack in the final minutes. Paatz missed out on her first top 10 result by just over a second.
Paatz on the front row for the first time
For the second race on Saturday, Paatz was in second place on the grid due to the reverse grid rule, in which the top 10 in qualifying start in reverse order. However, the unfamiliar unobstructed view from the front row of the grid put too much pressure on the 16-year-old, who is actually one of the best starters in the field with her special starting technique using the brake. Paatz used the brakes too much, stalled her Formula 4 car and was unable to get off the grid, which dropped her to the back of the field.
‘I had planned to take the lead with a good start, but unfortunately I made this little mistake. Even if that was disastrous for me personally, it's part of the learning process,’ says Paatz, who got off to another perfect start in the third race. ‘I would have preferred that in the second race!’ After her mistake at the start, the heartbroken rider fought her way up to 18th position over the course of the 20-minute race, but on the final lap, the ADAC Sports Foundation protégée was spun around by a rival who Paatz had previously caught with a fair manoeuvre, meaning that she ultimately only finished 22nd.
In the third and final race, the starting order of which is determined by the second-fastest lap time in qualifying, Paatz also had a good starting position to finish in the points in 13th place. The driver from Cologne made up one position with a perfect start, but then struggled with technical problems on the brakes of her car, which have been occurring since the weekend before last in Spa. The second free practice session on Thursday had already fallen victim to a fault in the braking system. In the race, the brake pressure sensor failed, causing the car to jump into safety mode several times. Paatz had to let one competitor after another go before the problems finally became so serious that she even had to end the race prematurely.
‘I'm leaving Magny-Cours with mixed feelings,’ said Paatz, drawing a mixed balance. ‘I was finally able to show my potential in qualifying and finish in the top 10. Nevertheless, I was unable to capitalise on this promising starting position in two of the three races to achieve a top ten result and thus points. The mistake in the second race, when I had a perfect starting position with second place on the grid, really annoys me. However, the weekend as a whole gives me further confidence and proves that the learning curve is pointing steeply upwards. I'm now in the top 10 in terms of driving and will be targeting my first points in the upcoming races!’ Paatz will have his next chance in three weeks' time when the French Formula 4 Championship makes a guest appearance at the Dijon-Prenois circuit.
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