Mayhem in the Monaco monsoon: Vital points towards Porsche Supercup
The second round of the 2016 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup was staged in the framework of the Formula 1 weekend in Monaco. Conditions could hardly have been more challenging for the competitors as they started behind the safety car and the rain began to lash down even more heavily. When the race was ultimately stopped on the last lap, Jeffrey Schmidt was classified seventh. The Swiss driver thus goes home with a haul of ten points from the prestigious race weekend in the Principality.
Jeffrey, drivers in Monaco are constantly at risk of crashing into the barriers. What was it like for you in these difficult conditions?
When we were told that the race was starting behind the safety car, I knew that I wasn’t going to be winning any trophies today. That’s because our cars are incapable of overtaking here in the rain. So the main thing was simply to survive, make it to the finish line and score some points. At first, the weather was reasonably OK, and towards the middle of the race, it had stopped raining. Consequently, lap times quickly picked up. Then on the penultimate lap, the rain set in again, and I had to be very careful.
On the last lap, it got really unpleasant…
We had a sudden monsoon-like downpour. The whole track was under water, and conditions were really extreme. I almost aquaplaned on the home straight, even though I was driving in a straight line, but I just about managed to keep the car under control. Not long after, another driver crashed into the wall. This brought out the red flags, and the race was halted prematurely. But in any case, it would have been difficult to gain any more positions. You can’t overtake very easily in Monaco, especially under these conditions. After qualifying, the outcome is more or less decided anyway.
You improved from 13th place in free practice to seventh in qualifying.
Yes, in qualifying I was driving just a bit nearer the limit than in practice. Since both sessions had been scheduled quite close to each other, I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks in free practice. We tweaked the setup overnight and managed to coax an extra one or two hundredths out of the car. I also improved my own performance. The qualifying lap wasn’t quite optimal, because unfortunately I got held up by traffic. If you’re trying for a perfect lap, you can’t afford to come up behind a slow car. That’s especially problematic in Monaco, because visibility is restricted to as far as the next corner.
With Saturday being a race-free day, you went for a bike ride. Do you find it difficult to relax?
Yes, you could say that. I like to keep myself busy. Monaco is a good place to go cycling. In any case, I always have my bike with me. And the landscape is incredibly beautiful. On Friday, I went for a three-hour ride, and on Saturday again for another four hours. For me, it’s mainly about staying fit. If the hotel on a race weekend doesn’t have a gym, you have to be creative. And when you’re abroad for 200 days out of 365 like I was last year, you have to pay even more attention to keeping up your level of fitness.
Next weekend, you’ll be at the Lausitzring in the context of the DTM. What’s your target for the Carrera Cup?
I’m always delighted to be back at the Lausitzring, because that’s where I made the first podium appearance of my Porsche career. I did well there again last year, narrowly missing out on pole position and finishing on the podium. The most outstanding section of the track is the Oval. It’s a special thrill to take the banked curve at high speed in the Porsche. The atmosphere is going to be amazing this time. In addition to the Porsche Carrera Cup, the DTM and the ADAC GT Masters, they are also hosting the Superbike IDM. Our target is clear: we are favourites for the Carrera Cup title and intend to win at the Lausitzring.
