Last weekend, Rocco Coronel drove his first race at Circuit Zandvoort in the British Ginetta Junior Championship. It was a historic moment in the Coronel family’s racing tradition and for the 14-year-old Red Bull Junior driver. He proved that he can also win in his home country with victories in the first two races of the weekend. The third race was stopped early after a crash involving several cars. Coronel was in the lead at the time, but because in such cases the classification is based on the previous lap, he was classified second in that race. « It’s a shame I couldn’t finish it off, as there was a good chance I would have won that race too, but overall it was another good weekend with some great results, » said Coronel, who further extended his lead in the standings with these results.
Of course, his first race appearance in his home country was something special for Rocco Coronel. « It was great that my family could be there, as well as lots of friends and acquaintances and many guests from our sponsors and partners. It was nice to be able to show them up close what racing with the Ginetta is all about, » said Coronel. « And for me, it was just nice to be able to sleep in my own bed at home. I even got to go wakeboarding on Thursday and Friday evening, which was really cool, because you can’t do that anywhere near the English circuits, haha! »
In the run-up to the weekend, Coronel and the other participants in the Ginetta Junior Championship had a total of six test sessions on Thursday and Friday. « Testing went well. We didn’t focus so much on fast lap times, but more on the long runs. We also did a practice race with the six of us. It was a bit chaotic, but it was fun, » the only Dutch driver in the field reported. On Saturday morning, activities got underway with qualifying, in which Coronel set the fastest time by a margin of six tenths of a second. This secured him pole position for the opening race later that day. In the ranking of the second fastest lap times, which determined the starting grid for the second race, Coronel was classified second.
In the race on Saturday afternoon, Coronel immediately took the lead and managed to hold on to it throughout the race. He crowned this performance with victory. However, it was not easy, as he explained afterwards: « There was a lot going on behind me and Green in particular was getting closer and closer in the final stages. With the Ginettas, you can’t really pull away at Zandvoort because you hit the rev limiter on the straight, but luckily I managed to keep them all at bay and secure the victory! »
The second race was scheduled for Sunday morning, with Coronel starting in second place. However, it took him less than half a lap to take the lead: « I already made the move in the second corner. Then I came under pressure before the next corner, but I just kept my head down and held my position, which I then managed to maintain. There were some battles behind me, which allowed me to pull away a bit and win the race. It all felt really good! »
The third race was stopped prematurely following an incident involving several cars. « The most important thing is that everyone is okay, » said Coronel. « I think one driver had a bit of trouble with his shoulder, but nothing serious, fortunately. My race was quite turbulent. I had a battle with Slater, who passed me in Tarzan corner, but I repassed him at Scheivlak. Then I was tapped, which caused me to lose four places and fall back to fifth. Then the safety car came out briefly. At the restart, I was able to open up a gap and then overtake three drivers on the outside at the Masters corner. They were going so slowly that I thought, ‘I’ll just go outside!’ A few corners later, I also took the lead, but in the next lap the red flag came out and because the order from the previous lap counts, I ended up second. It’s a shame I couldn’t finish it off, but I’m definitely satisfied with this weekend! »
Afterwards, Coronel quickly left for Hilversum, where he appeared on Viaplay’s ‘Vroooooom’ TV show after the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix. That was another new experience for him. The season in the British Ginetta Junior Championship continues on 23 and 24 August at the Grand Prix circuit at Brands Hatch in Kent.