Wildcard entry for round 5 of F1 Academy, Esmee Kosterman opened up about her driving in a single-seater series. She focused on what she expects from her home race weekend at Zandvoort and how weather conditions and a different kind of driving are going to affect her.
Kosterman hopes for rain on her F1 Academy Debut in Zandvoort
When asked about the weather conditions, Kosterman showed confidence, not caring whether it would rain or not. In fact, she never drove a single-seater car in the rain as her three races in British F4 were all dry and showed no sign of rain. The Dutch driver claimed she would like the rain as it would be a typical situation for her home.
“For me, I drove this year three races in British F4 and all three were not raining. So, I never drove in the rain with a single seater. But I hope it’s going to rain because, of course, I’m from the Netherlands and I like rain.”
“But I know it’s a very grippy circuit, especially also in the rain. So, you can still drive the good line. But, yeah, let’s see what kind of weather conditions it’s going to be. I will like it if it’s going to be raining or when it’s not. So, yeah, it doesn’t matter.”
Points and future seat as the goal of the weekend
The 20-year-old saw the most significant change in car managing and driving style. In fact, her previous experience before British F4 only came from driving the Ford Fiesta, which works with front wheel tyres and has a different response to braking compared to a single-seater car.
For this reason, she needed to learn how to stop breaking and steering at the same time. For her F1 Academy Debut in Zandvoort, Kosterman is set to leave the circuit with points for the team and a possible seat for the next season.
“The biggest change is because I drove for Ford Fiesta, and that’s front wheel tyres. So, we were like true braking everywhere almost. And that was the biggest change what I did in the F4. So, don’t brake and steering at the same time because then you’re locking. So, that was the biggest thing that I need to change.”
“My goal for this weekend is scoring some points for the team. And let people see what I can do. Hopefully, I get a place for next year on the grid.”
Preparation and Testing as a key factor to learn how the car works
Though Kosterman only has 3 Rounds of Single-seater racing to her name, the Dutch driver feels prepared for the F1 Academy Race at Zandvoort. As the first woman to win the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup Benelux, Kosterman appreciated the testing and work that went into her preparing for the race. Since she now has the insights of the car and knows how to drive it correctly, Kosterman is confident for her home race.
“I know the difference from the car as well. But it was definitely some good preparing, because now I know how to work with the car, with the steering, and how the chassis is, and things like that.”
“How I want the car, how to talk to the team. So, yeah, it’s a good prepare for this race.”
