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Pourchaire and Bühler keep the title chase on for Sauber Academy

It’s been an action-packed couple of months for the drivers of the Sauber Academy, who kept up with on-track activities throughout June and July racing all around Europe, collecting silverware and important points for their respective campaigns.

After having served his simulator duties as Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake hit the track in Montréal for the Canadian Grand Prix, Théo Pourchaire returned to action at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg for the eighth round of the Formula 2 Championship. The Austrian event kicked off a busy five-week stint for the young Frenchman, racing on some of Europe’s best-known tracks such as Silverstone, the Hungaroring, and the Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps. Scoring points in almost all events, as well as collecting four podium finishes, Théo firmly maintained his hold on second place in the drivers’ championship, closing the gap with standings leader Frederik Vesti. The opportunity to move even further presented himself in Spa, on Sunday’s feature race. With Vesti spinning during the formation lap and subsequently retiring from the race, Théo maximised his chances, moving up through the field and cleverly managing his tyres, opting for a late stop. As he eventually crossed the finish line second, Théo retook the championship lead from Vesti, heading into the three-weeks break with a  twelve-points lead over the Dane. Formula 2 action will resume in Zandvoort at the end of the month.

The Dutch circuit already saw racing for the F1 Academy, at the end of June: in top form and fresh from a couple of testing days at MotorLand Aragón, Léna Bühler enjoyed a stellar weekend, with three podium finishes out of three races. The series then moved over to the Temple of Speed, racing at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. A podium and a race win were the reward for the Swiss racer, who strengthened her third position in the championship standings. Competition then resumed at the end of July in the south of France, at the Circuit Paul Ricard, for the final round before the summer break – and the second to last event of the season. Keeping up with the good performances that she has been showing throughout the season, Léna added two more podiums to her name at Le Castellet, for an impressive total of 11 top-three finishes in 18 races so far in the season, taking over second spot in the standings from Hamda Al Qubaisi. Sitting 48 points behind championship leader, Marta García, Léna will aim to keep the title battle alive at the final round of this first F1 Academy season which. after a three-month break, will take place at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin next October.

Much like his fellow Sauber Academy drivers, Marcus Amand spent June and July all around Europe, as the Formula Regional European Championship brought him at the Hungaroring in Budapest, in Spa-Francorchamps, on the Tuscan hills of the Mugello Circuit, before heading to the Circuit Paul Ricard before the summer break. It’s been a couple of tough events for the French-Finnish driver, who didn’t get to maximise his opportunities on track and add points to his tally, despite scoring a couple of P15 finishes and improving his qualifying placements. Currently sitting P23 in the overall standings and P4 in the rookies’ class, Marcus will resume racing next September in Spielberg, for the seventh round of the Championship.

After the good results scored on Danish grounds at the start of the month, Taym Salehreturned to Rødby in mid-June, for Round 3 of the O-K Junior European Championship. Starting from the ninth row, Taym battled through the field, eventually finishing in P12. After a short break, action resumed the following month for the young German, who headed to Cremona, Italy, for the fourth round of the Champions of the Future series. Keeping performances at a high level throughout the sessions, Taym finished the weekend in P6. The young German also had the chance to represent the Sauber Academy in Budapest, as he joined Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake trackside at the Hungarian Grand Prix, getting to know and receiving precious advice from drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. One final stint before the summer saw Taym returning to Cremona once more, this time for the fourth and final round of the O-K Junior European Championship, where he finished 18th overall. Activities for the kart driver will resume at the end of the month in Franciacorta, Italy.

Now, school is out for the summer: the Sauber Academy drivers will get the chance to sit back and recharge their batteries after a busy first half of the season, as they get ready to get back on track and move forward with their respective campaigns.

Priyadarshan G

Priyadarshan G

priyadarshan

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