Interview
‘I think I was the best to adapt to the conditions’ - Larsen conflicted after return to the front row in Zandvoort
Alba Larsen was left in two minds after finishing second-fastest in Qualifying in Zandvoort, missing out on her maiden pole position at the chequered flag.
Larsen started the weekend off strong, finishing third fastest in the afternoon Practice session on Friday, and continued her strong pace into Qualifying.
After leading for most of the wet-to-dry session, her best lap time of 1:41.775 was beaten by eight tenths in the final seconds by pole sitter Alisha Palmowski. The Ferrari driver equalled her best Qualifying performance of the season and was 11 places higher than her P13 Qualifying position around Silverstone last time oit.
After her encouraging return to the front row, Larsen believes she can carry her momentum to score big points in both the Reverse Grid Race and Feature Race.
“I have a bit of mixed feelings," began Larsen. "I’m really happy to be back at the top where I belong. P2 is great. I have shown that even after bad weekends and bad luck, I know how to get back up.
Larsen has endured bad luck during previous Qualifying sessions this season. She achieved P2 in Shanghai, followed by sixth and seventh in Montreal and 13th in Silverstone.
The 30 minutes of Qualifying in Zandvoort proved to be a test of Larsen's resilence and mental fortitude, as the wet-to-drying track, two Red Flags and traffic at the end forced her to contstantly adapt.
"I think that, that shows really great mental strength and that’s something that I have been working on," she said. "I’m really glad to be back at the top. I’m a bit gutted about P1, I had it throughout the whole Qualifying.
“I was quickest in the wet, when it was drying and I didn’t get my last lap, I got a lot of traffic and I had to overtake like five cars. So without the traffic, I think I could have gone for pole. But you never know and it is what it is. It is what it is. It’s still front row and we can definitely race from there.”
Larsen continued: “I felt super comfortable throughout yesterday’s Practice, where we also didn’t know quite if it was going to rain or not and this Qualifying with different conditions throughout the session. I felt very comfortable and just confident in my ability to adapt.”
“I think I was the best to adapt to the conditions. I am a big gutted about the P1 of course, but it’s definitely good to be back.”
Starting the Reverse Grid Race from seventh, Larsen wants to learn as much as possible utilising her chance to test her speed and racecraft ahead of Sunday’s Feature Race, where she aims to capitalise on the opportunity to start from the front row.
“I think this afternoon’s race is going to be chaotic," she noted. "I will try to stay clean and move up a few positions. I have the speed in terms of the cars in front of me, so I’m definitely ready and just gaining a lot of knowledge for tomorrow’s race when it counts.”
Currently ninth in the Standings, Larsen expressed her desire to gain as many points as possible during the race weekend to make up for what she's lost out on earlier in the season.
“It's obviously important to finish every race and to do a good result in every way you can, but I’m not so focused on how it goes," she said. "You never know if there's a Safety Car the whole race. It’s hard to move up, but just get the best start of the race and just gain a lot of knowledge for tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow is where it really counts for me, starting from the front row, and I’m really excited about it.”