BWT Racing Point looking to continue strong form at unseasonal Eifel GP

Fresh from yet another valuable points finish in Sochi, the BWT Racing Point team, partnered by Acronis, is hopeful of improving on its fourth place in the constructors’ championship as the F1 circus moves to the famous Nürburgring for the ‘Eifel Grand Prix’.

Sergio Perez was a strong fourth at the Russian GP, that result coming after he also finished fifth at the Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello and teammate Lance Stroll grabbed a brilliant podium at the Italian Grand Prix.

“It’s great to have the challenge of adapting to new circuits, it’s definitely going to be fun here,” said Perez in his team’s race weekend preview. “You need to find the right balance on corner stability across a variety of turns at different speeds. Overtaking is possible, but certainly not easy. Also, I’m happy we’re racing a full season, so credit to Formula 1 and the FIA for making it happen. It’s great that we can have a full calendar this year.”

With a little bit more fortune, Racing Point could easily be ahead of rivals McLaren instead of two points behind, Stroll unfortunately being punted out by Charles Leclerc in Sochi, that following his unlucky tyre failure at the Tuscan Grand Prix when challenging for yet another podium in the final laps.

Never one to dwell on the past, Stroll is looking forward to the challenge of a circuit he enjoys as he goes on the hunt for more points in Germany.

“The Nürburgring is one of my favourite circuits and it’s great to see it back on the Formula 1 calendar,” said Stroll. “F1 and the FIA deserve a lot of credit for working so hard to make sure we get a full season of racing under difficult circumstances and the addition of historic circuits to mix it up is a real positive.

“It’s such a high-speed circuit, but it has a great flow to it that makes a lap there a real thrill. I’ve had some success there in the past, I won two out of three races during my title-winning 2016 European Formula 3 Championship campaign and it set up a great run to the end of the season. I have nothing but good memories of it.”

In the strangest of Formula One seasons to date, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the calendar somewhat off-kilter, to put it mildly. F1 has not visited the Nürburgring since 2013, and whilst track temperatures would usually be around 40C in the summer, it will invariably be much lower this weekend and will make tyre warm-up of the harder compounds a particular challenge.

“The Nürburgring at that time of year can throw up any kind of conditions,” adds Stroll. “I come from Canada, so rain, snow and sunshine will all suit me! We’ve got thick skin and I’ll be wearing a t-shirt on the track walk…”

Fraser Masefield

Sports news and features writer, web editor and author.