Jak Crawford: F2 Title Hopes, Consistency & Driver Insights
Crawford Eyes Qualifying Advancement to Fuel Championship Charge
DAMS driver, Zane Crawford, is aiming to elevate his qualifying performance as he seeks to convert strong race pace into more consistent victories and championship points in the latter half of the Formula 2 season.
While the recent Silverstone Feature Race victor is enjoying a strong run of form, Crawford is not resting on his laurels. He has identified qualifying as a key area for improvement, believing that a stronger starting grid position will be crucial for DAMS to achieve further success before the 2025 campaign concludes.”I’d like to qualify better,” Crawford stated. “I mean, my qualifying average is probably not the best in the field. I’d still say it’s up there. It’s quite difficult to be consistent in F2, but there’s been a few others that have qualified more consistently than us. So it would be good to get a couple more top threes in Qualifying.”
He elaborated on the impact of qualifying performance on race outcomes: “That just almost for us, reassures us that we’re going to have good points in the race, because we always know we can go forward, even starting in the top three. It’s still been good in the races. The car is good, clearly, no matter where we start, as we saw in Red Bull Ring. so we know we can fight for Feature Race wins.”
The Run In
Crawford’s recent victory at Silverstone has propelled him into second place in the Drivers’ Championship, closing the gap to the championship leader. He expressed a preference for being the driver being chased, rather than the one needing to catch up.
“I’d rather be the chased,” Crawford admitted. “That’s just what I prefer, I like to have that advantage.Chasing sucks, because that means you have to get a good result always. It’s not like I need to go out and do anything extra to chase Richard down, but I feel like it’s a lot easier. It’s just a better position to be in. I mean you’re leading. So that’s the aim.”
This mindset underscores Crawford’s ambition and his strategic approach to the remainder of the season. By focusing on improving his qualifying efforts, he aims to provide himself and the DAMS team with the best possible platform to secure more race wins and ultimately challenge for the championship title. The team’s evident race pace, as highlighted by Crawford, suggests that with a stronger starting position, their potential for success is even greater.
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For further insights into the championship and team strategies, read Bruno Michel’s Double-Header Debrief: Intrigue heading into Round 9.*
