‘Not too bad to start from’ – Victorious Felbermayr reenergised after unlocking Silverstone pace

Emma Felbermayr was satisfied with a job well done as she secured the Reverse Grid Race win at Silverstone and hopes it will revitalise her fortunes for the Feature Race.

It proved to be a very straightforward affair for the Audi driver starting from pole. Covering off Nina Gademan off the line and on the run into Turn 1, Felbermayr pushed early on, going almost five tenths quicker than the Alpine driver on Lap 2 alone.

That approach paid off and despite Gademan’s engineer informing her that Felbermayr was dropping off at the midway point, the 19-year-old never let her close enough to even contemplate a move.

Driving off into the distance, she finished two seconds clear of the pack and Felbermayr acknowledged how decisive the opening laps were in setting her up for a comfortable victory.

“We had a good start and a good first lap,” she began. “It was important for me to get Nina out of the tow a bit because here there are long straights. I didn’t have anyone in front of me, so straight line speed could be quite different if you don't have one in front. That was the goal for Lap 1, which I did.

“Ella and Nina were fighting a bit, so that helped me. I think we found good pace from straight on in the race, which I usually struggle a bit with, but today we managed it quite well.”

Felbermayr’s positivity comes as a stark contrast to her disappointment following Friday’s Qualifying session. Losing her fastest lap due to track limits, she had to settle for P8.

Slicing six points off Alisha Palmowski’s lead in the Standings, it was a race of damage limitation for the Austrian, who still remains 19 points behind. Lining up in the midfield for Sunday’s Feature Race, Felbermayr is now more optimistic about her chances, citing the upturn in performance she and Rodin Motorsport seemed to have found around the British circuit.

READ MORE: REVERSE GRID RACE: Felbermayr breezes to commanding Silverstone victory

“My goal for the season always was to maximize every race and I did today,” she said. “I started P1, I couldn't go further and that was all I could do today. I missed out on the fastest lap point by just a little bit.

“It helps to close the gap a bit to Alisha. Obviously, tomorrow is going to be the more difficult starting from P8. think in Qualifying I just didn't put it together. Pole was definitely not in it, but P3 could have been possible with all my sectors. The pace was there yesterday, I just couldn't show it really but it was today.”

She adds: “In the middle of the race, we lost some pace compared to Nina, but in the end the last two laps were really strong. I’m feeling good, it definitely looks better than yesterday. We found a bit and maybe getting an extra little bit for tomorrow, but it’s not too bad to start from.”