Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Jak Crawford believes a top-five finish in Formula 2’s two races at the Red Bull Ring is possible despite being set to line up 14th on the grid in both.
The DAMS driver, who has been on pole this season but has also started three races from outside of the top 10, was only 0.528 seconds off pole in qualifying but that was only good enough for 15th place.
Grid penalties for Campos Racing’s Arvid Lindblad, who impeded Crawford during the session, meant one position was gained on the grid for the sprint race and longer feature race.
“It was just an issue with warming up tyres,” Crawford said to Formula Scout about his lowly qualifying position. “We couldn’t get them into the right window.”
In the last seven races there has been two wins and four other top-five finishes for Crawford, putting him into title contention.
“[The championship] is on my mind. I just focus now on gaining the maximum number of points for every weekend and see where we are at the end of the season. I think everything’s coming together. Last year was quite strong so we’re just cleaning up a few inconsistencies.”
Despite his qualifying performance, Crawford says “I feel confident to gain even more ground this weekend and edge a bit closer to the top”.
“I wouldn’t say its damage limitation at this stage. I’m starting from the same position for both races and still think top five and points is definitely possible,” he declared.