‘The best weekend that I’ve had in my whole life!’ — Wild Card Kosterman thrilled with points finish in Zandvoort

A few days ago, Esmee Kosterman had never competed in F1 ACADEMY before. Now, the 20-year-old has become the first Wild Card entry to score points this season, undoubtedly making her mark on the series with her performance in Zandvoort.

The Dutch driver represented TeamViewer for her debut weekend at her home race, where she finished P7 in Race 2 to secure six points — outscoring five full-time drivers in the Standings.

After taking P9 in Qualifying, she endured disappointment in Race 1 as she was informed during the formation lap that an issue meant she would have to start from the pit lane. While she impressed by improving back to 12th place, she realistically needed several more laps to break into the points, a feat she would achieve the following day.

“It’s such an honour to drive as the Wild Card here at my home track with TeamViewer,” she shared. “This weekend was the best weekend I’ve had in my whole life! So many things happened at the same time. It’s so busy and you get so much energy from everybody. It’s so, so good.

“Today I went in with a fresh mindset and starting from my grid position of P9, I finished P7 so I overtook two girls. It’s brilliant to drive here but every single lap you need to change your mind because the track conditions are getting worse and worse so you need to know what to do with the car.

“After Lap 6, the grip was getting worse so I wasn’t able to rotate the car anymore so you need to know what to do then. It was quite fun to drive in it. I saw the group in front of me and thought ‘I can catch them’ so I was quite happy with it.”

Giving a chance for up-and-coming young drivers to impress on the F1 ACADEMY stage, the Wild Card initiative has already succeeded in bringing a roster of remarkable racers into the series — Alisha Palmowski, Ella Lloyd, Nina Gademan and Courtney Crone all landed a seat after entering as Wild Cards last season.

READ MORE: STANDOUT STARS: Who banked on Zandvoort success in Round 5?

Kosterman was acutely aware of how significant this weekend could be for her career, explaining: “It’s a really big opportunity because there are not a lot of opportunities for women in this sport. I know the boys are getting more opportunities so I’m so happy that F1 ACADEMY is here to give us this opportunity.

“I took it with both hands and I’m so grateful that they made this competition for women. I hope I can inspire women in motorsport. I was there as a little child in the same sport.”