NEWS - 27. November 2023

SO CLOSE!

Vesti showed world class performance when he took on the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi this weekend in a final attempt to conquer the title as F2 Champion 2023.

The beginning didn't at all pan out as Vesti had hoped for. Vesti ended up P9 in Qualifying. A tough one to swallow with such crucial days ahead. Vesti locked his front tires in sector two on the last fast lap. For Vesti's worst competitor, Théo Pourchaire, it was an even bigger disappointment with a starting position way down the grid in both the Sprint and Feature race and outside the top 10.

The Sprint race showed a phenomenal Vesti in the best shape of his life. Sublime racing skills put everyone else out of the game. From the top of the podium, Vesti could still see the Championship within reach.

With a reversed tire strategy on Sunday from that of Pourchaire, the PREMA team and Vesti was betting on being able to gain a lot of time on the hard tires before a late pit stop, where new soft tires had to endure the final laps and hopefully also secure 2 points for the fastest lap time. EVERYTHING went Vesti's way: fastest lap, lots of cool overtakes from P9 to P3, but the safety car that could have helped decide the fate in favor of Vesti, even though it was close to being deployed several times, didn't happen. Vesti's teammate Oliver Bearman had to stop and pull over due to a defective car right at the Pit entrance, but without this triggering the safety car. Had the car broken down and stopped before or after Pit entry, the safety car would have been deployed, which most likely would have secured Vesti both today's victory AND the Championship!

But what remains is that Vesti drove perhaps his best race of the season. Hard charging, bold moves and yet again putting his impressive racecraft on full display. Vesti left the new F2 Champion Théo Pourchaire behind in the dust in both races.

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Everything that was within my own control I executed at my absolute peak performance. To finish like this makes me really happy. But of course I'm not satisfied. I had to squint my eyes many times today. It's not easy to be at the top of your career and know you're the best and then lose the Championship I've wanted most of all. I honestly can't help feeling that the Championship belonged to me.

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And the numbers support Vesti. 10 podium positions. 6 podium positions in a row and a total of 6 victories. Pourchaire, by comparison, has only 1 win to his account. But consistency was key. In the end just 11 points separated Pourchaire and Vesti.

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I didn't lose the Championship today. I finished on top, but when I look back, Monza is decisive as I got run off and lost the 25 points I could have taken on a good day. No doubt that I was fast that weekend. Look at the footage of me that day. I think that speaks louder than words. The process I've been through since Monza, on the other hand, meant I went into Abu Dhabi with a make it or break it attitude in my head more than ever before. Maybe Abu Dhabi is my very best weekend this year.

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A big congratulations to Théo Pourchaire, with whom I have shared many good times both as a teammate and as a competitor.

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Thank you to the world's best PREMA and my personal dream team. Thank you to sponsors and investors. I will remember you all - forever. What strength and perseverance you have given me. What a year! THANK YOU.

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Foto Prema: Joan Cordina, Prema