Frédéric Vervisch gladly settled for second despite traffic issues

Frédéric Vervisch just missed out on pole position during his TCR International Series debut, finishing second behind Comtoyou team-mate Stefano Comini by a mere 0.067s. The Audi driver is caught between the satisfaction for the front row and the disappointment for the missed pole position chance due to a traffic problem.

“It’s always easy to find excuses after qualifying, but I had to pass someone at the last chicane, which surely cost me some time”, said the Belgian to TouringCarTimes. “I think I would have been a couple of tenths quicker, but it doesn’t mean anything, I guess everyone had problems with the yellow flag and the traffic. You have to be lucky and have a clean lap. I honestly never thought we would be so competitive, but I am very happy for Audi and the team. Of course our car is very quick around here, we’ll see what happens in the race.”

Vervisch went on to tell the tale of his qualifying lap, which was clean until the last chicane, where he had to overtake a slower car.

“I had a clean lap, although I was a bit too cautious at Raidillon, but then again I wanted to score a good result for the team. Stefano’s style is a little more aggressive, more “all in” to that respect. I think there was some more margin, but I’m still happy to be second despite the traffic. I can live with it, as the pole position still stays within the team.”

The Comtoyou driver promised he’d make sure the team would score the best possible result, but did not deny he wants to win if possible. In order to pass his team-mate, the Belgian would have to be sure the move can be clean and does not cost any of them too much time.

“I know Stefano (Comini) is very good at the starts, so if I can follow him through that would help a lot,” said Vervisch.

“I’m a little worried about the start at the moment, so let’s see what happens. I am going to go for the win if it’s possible. I think my problem will be the first few laps, I’m not sure I can manage the cold tyres too well as I’m used to tyre blankets in GTs. I know it’s crucial in TCR, so I don’t know what will happen, but of course if I’m in a position to try to win I will do it, as long as it’s safe for both of us.

“I don’t want to take risks for the team, that’s my main concern. We need to be smart, we need to finish the race and if we’re going to pass each other we must avoid losing time. Maybe we can work together and open a gap from the rest of the field, that would help for sure.”