Nina Gademan left Zandvoort with mixed emotions after securing two podium finishes on home soil, admitting that she had hoped to fight for victory during the final F1 Academy Dutch GP weekend.
The Alpine driver converted fourth on the Reverse Grid Race grid into second place before adding another podium in the Feature Race. Starting fifth on Sunday, Gademan gained two positions in the opening stages before settling into third behind Alisha Palmowski and Alba Larsen.
The results marked Gademan’s first back-to-back podium finishes of the season and helped her strengthen her position in the battle at the front of the standings. However, after showing strong pace throughout the weekend, including topping Friday’s Practice session, the Dutch driver admitted that missing out on a victory still left her wanting more.
Double podium the next best outcome for Gademan
Gademan felt she extracted what she could from the F1 Academy Feature Race after traffic hindered her final attempts in Qualifying and left her starting fifth in Zandvoort. Although she quickly climbed to third, Palmowski and Larsen proved too quick to challenge over the remainder of the race. With a comfortable advantage over the cars behind, Gademan spent much of the contest running alone.
“Not the win I wanted, but a double podium I think could be the best thing after that anyway. I really did try and maximise after Qualifying where I got impeded, I just didn’t have the pace to follow Alisha and Alba, but I had really good pace to be P3. I was just in no man’s land at some point. They were like 10 seconds ahead and 10 seconds behind me at some points. Pretty boring race actually, but a good haul of points this weekend, also for the team, so I think we are all pretty pleased.”
Gademan knew the opening lap would be crucial
With overtaking expected to prove more difficult than it had during Saturday’s F1 Academy Reverse Grid Race, Gademan knew she could not afford to waste time at the beginning of the Feature Race in Zandvoort. Different wind conditions had made passing more achievable the previous day, but Gademan expected fewer opportunities on Sunday. That placed even greater importance on gaining positions immediately.
“I knew the wind was going to be weaker compared to yesterday, so overtaking was going to be harder. Yesterday was once in a lifetime. We had such a good headwind we could overtake around here. I have never experienced that around here. I knew I had to do it at the start.”
Data work pays off in the Zandvoort Feature Race
Gademan and her team used the lessons from Saturday to find improvements ahead of the second race, with the Dutch driver making adjustments to both her driving and her approach to the start. She immediately put those changes into practice. Gademan passed Emma Felbermayr off the line before attacking Natalia Granada for third, completing the decisive move early in the race.
“We looked at the data yesterday and I did some tweaks in my driving, so that’s why I had the pace to be P3 today. But also the start. Yesterday was not bad, but by my standards, the start was bad, so I knew I had to change it for today. I knew I had to push Natalia out of the corner to stick the move because I knew afterwards I was not going to make it anymore. So it was just having a good start. Getting past these two drivers and from then on just having my own race.”
Home support makes Zandvoort F1 Academy podiums special for Gademan
While Gademan could not deliver the victory she wanted, securing two podiums during the final Dutch Grand Prix weekend gave her plenty to celebrate. The result carried additional significance as both a home event for Gademan and her team. She also had the opportunity to share the occasion with her family and celebrate in front of the Dutch fans.
“I can start now by saying we didn’t have the pace to win and it’s such a shame. It’s the last Dutch Grand Prix and I got a podium here at my home race, I got a podium for the team’s home race. I got good points. I got to celebrate with my family, so in the end it’s not a bad day. They go crazy, so I was like just lift me up. Let’s wave at the crowd and they go crazy. It’s fun, I mean, it’s their last home race as well. They are crazy and they are super supportive.”
Gademan sets sights on P2 battle and Austin challenge
The strong weekend also helped Gademan make progress in the Standings. By finishing ahead of Felbermayr, she reduced the deficit to the second-placed driver from 28 points to 17. With Austin next on the calendar, Gademan wants to continue reducing that margin before putting herself in contention for second in the standings at the season finale in Las Vegas. The Circuit of the Americas will provide another challenge, particularly with the drivers receiving only one Free Practice session to familiarise themselves with the demanding circuit.
“It’s good that I finished in front of Emma as well. The main focus for now is maybe, after the next three races, to try to reduce the gap to below 10 or five points. That would be great and then fight for P2 in the Standings’ in Las Vegas. I’m so looking forward to that one (Austin). That track is amazing. I can’t wait. It’s going to be such a hard session., It’s such a hard track to get to know and only one Free Practice session. But it’s the same for all of us, and I can’t wait to be tested like that on such a cool track.”
