With the Formula 3 post-season test now completed, we caught up with Max Esterson to discuss the two days he drove for Vans Amersfoort Racing.
Max Esterson is an American-born racer who is currently competing in the GB3 championship around the UK. A few days before testing commenced, Vans Amersfoort Racing announced that Esterson would be participating in two out of the three days scheduled.
“Overall I’m pleased with how things went. I knew going into the test that it would be quite difficult as I was only driving on days two and three compared to almost everyone else who had either driven the past season or had been to Jerez [circuit] before. Considering the car and track were both completely new to me, I thought being six-tenths off at the end of Thursday in P16 was a strong effect.”
2 days testing @FIAFormula3 ✅
Thanks to @VARmotorsport for the great experience. pic.twitter.com/pr1xdiXK6b
— Max Esterson (@MaxEsterson) September 24, 2022
The Challenges of the F3 Car
Esterson admitted that he struggled with the Formula 3 car more than the GB3 car due to the weight of the car and the extra downforce it carried. “GB3 has very little downforce compared to the F3, so the braking technique is not really the same”. He noted that he was “surprised about how much the track fell off in the afternoon as the surface temperature rose.”
As a form of training, Esterson spent a lot of time training on his iRacing simulator at home, as well as using the Vans Amersfoort Racing simulator at their Headquarters where he built a rapport with the team.
5 words… Red Bull Gives You Wings.
Excited to begin working with Red Bull this year. Not much else to say other than thank you for the support 👍🏻 let's get to work.
📸 @DouglasMSport // MΞ #RedBull #RedBullRacing pic.twitter.com/lU4nIBR4sJ
— Max Esterson (@MaxEsterson) April 13, 2022
Throughout the two days, Esterson spent time working on tire and traffic management – which are both key parts of being successful in F3. With the GB3 championship commencing on the weekend of October 14th-16th at Donington Park, Esterson currently sits seventh in the championship. So far this season he has one victory, two additional podiums, and one pole. With drivers now being confirmed for next season, it’s only a matter of time before Vans Amersfoort Racing confirms their line-up. Will Esterson be included?
