Nick Jones and Sven Müller endured a frustrating second round of the British GT Championship last weekend, with the pair coming away unrewarded from what became a turbulent three-hour race.
The seasonal showpiece Silverstone 500 event is never a straightforward affair, with the result often determined by more than just speed alone. The Team Parker Racing-run Porsche 911 GT3 R had speed in abundance, as shown by pro driver Müller setting the second-fastest race lap of the entire 21-strong GT3 field, but the car simply didn’t have the luck to go with it after an early penalty wrecked its chances.
Ultimately, Jones and Müller finished 15th overall, and just outside of the top 10 in class, but did at least stay clear of any scrapes on their run to the flag in a race that featured three Safety Car periods and a heap of drama elsewhere.
The Team Parker Porsche was in the mix from the start of the weekend, highlighted by Müller helping the team to third fastest in Free Practice on Saturday. However a dip in track temperatures across the day proved a challenge for the Porsche, which struggled to replicate the same performance levels in Qualifying. Nick and Sven would therefore start Sunday’s three-hour race from 15th, but with all eyes on moving forward.
When the lights went out Jones immediately got himself into a duel with the Steller Motorsport Audi, Optimum Motorsport McLaren, Team Abba Mercedes-AMG and Blackthorn Aston Martin, holding station despite big pressure across the opening half hour.
The team’s strategy was to pit Jones early and install Müller to gain track position, so the #66 Porsche boxed for its first driver change shortly after, only to then be undone by sheer bad luck. The car was fractionally under its mandatory minimum pit time, so was called back in to serve a stop-go. Add to that the fact that the majority of other teams essentially got their first pit stop for free with the first of the race’s Safety Car periods being called shortly after Müller had rejoined, and the deck was already stacked well against the SD car.
Jones and Müller persevered to make it to the chequered flag, with Müller showing the team’s potential by becoming just the second driver to dip into the 1:58s bracket during his final stint. The result however was unjust reward for the potential.
Nick Jones said: “That was a difficult weekend, and one where it seemed like no matter what we’d have tried things just wouldn’t have gone in our favour. The first stint was good, getting into the fight with a load of other cars, and then I fully understood the strategy to get Sven into the car early, but then it all came crashing down with the penalty. We were something like a few thousandths under, but it doesn’t matter as the rules are the rules, and then the timing of the first Safety Car really put us out of the game. Still, we know the car’s quick, and Sven showed his class in that last stint with that lap, so hopefully we can head to Oulton Park and be back on form there next month.”
Sven Müller said: “It was not the weekend we expected, especially as the car was actually really great to drive during my final stint, so the potential was there for at least a top five, but the early mistakes cost us too much. We were so close to the minimum pit time but the in-car timer had failed and we ended up being seven thousandths of a second under, which unfortunately brought a big penalty. But we still had a nice weekend though, and from Nick’s part he made some big improvements in his driving and we are working better together with each event with the team. The next round cannot come soon enough!”
The next round of the British GT Championship takes place at Oulton Park in Cheshire over May Bank Holiday, 24-26.
