Interview
‘They gave me such a boost’ - Kosterman celebrates breakthrough point-scoring weekend on home turf in Zandvoort
Esmee Kosterman was full of emotions after the LEGO Racing driver secured her first points of the season in Zandvoort. finishing fourth in the Reverse Grid Race and followed by a P10 finish in the Feature Race.
Kosterman has experienced a tough start to her rookie campaign, failing to score points in the three opening rounds. Returning to the site of her Wild Card debut last year, the Dutch racer qualified inside the top 10 for the first time in 2026.
Taking advantage of the battles around her, she fought her way through from 10th to fourth in the Reverse Grid Race, getting five points on the board. Filled with confidence going into the Feature Race, Kosterman had to settle for 10th, picking up another point to round out the weekend.
“Overall, the whole weekend I’m happy,” she began. “Finally points! It's a positive, a really strong, positive line during the whole season.
“With hard work, we are going to be there. It’s really nice that MP Motorsport has given me this opportunity and we work really hard together to be there.
“I’m really excited to go to Austin for the next round and do more than this week. I learnt so much from this week. Yesterday was a mega race. I couldn’t dream of being P4 from P10. Today from P10 to P10. It’s just strange driving here sometimes. If you have so much grip, it’s really difficult to overtake here.”
She continued: “I know I need to work on my starts as well because that’s the really important thing here, to be prepared and be directly there on the start. I’m taking a lot of experience again. I get more used to the car every race and I also feel it. I’m building a strong connection now with the car and with the team.”
Kosterman hasn’t had the start to the season she had hoped for and was one of two drivers without any points heading into Round 4. Reflecting on her upturn in form, the 21-year-old admitted she more assured in her skills and poised behind the wheel.
“I am more confident in myself and I also trust the car more,” noted Kosterman. “The things that happened during this weekend, if they had happened in Shanghai I would have definitely lost the car and now I know how to react in those circumstances. I don’t want to say I’m getting used to this, because this is not normal life, but it's just feeling comfortable and feeling the car more.”
After being on the F1 ACADEMY since its inception, 2026 marked the final time the series will race around the Circuit Zandvoort. Kosterman made her series debut at the track as the Wild Card last year and had continued to experience the huge support from the Dutch fans all weekend.
“It’s really sad that this is the last one because I love this track,” she said. “It’s an epic track, physical but also technical. I'm definitely going to miss it really, it’s really hard because my heart is breaking now that it's over.
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“After the finish line, on the in-lap, it was really special for me. Yesterday it was really emotional seeing how many supporters we girls get on the grid. It’s massive. It’s big and last year compared to this year, it's even bigger, so I really like it and that people are so supportive.
“I’m so happy with the Dutch crowd and so thankful that they gave me such a boost this weekend.”