The second round of the EuroCup-3 season, held in Portimão, proved to be a challenging weekend for GRS Team, with its drivers unable to fully showcase their potential on track.
The EuroCup-3 season resumed this weekend after a month-long break. The Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, a legendary and demanding circuit, hosted the second round of the championship, where GRS Team encountered several setbacks that prevented the squad from achieving its objectives.
GRS arrived in Portugal with a revised driver line-up. Alongside Rayan Caretti, who made his debut in the series during the opening round at Paul Ricard, was Jakob Bergmeister. The German driver returned to competition after more than a year away from racing, bringing with him a wealth of victories and achievements from previous seasons.
Track action began on Tuesday with two days of Official Collective Testing. These sessions proved extremely valuable in building rhythm, fine-tuning the car set-ups and ensuring both drivers and team were fully prepared heading into the race weekend. In addition, Friday’s pre-event test sessions allowed the team to complete the final preparations before competitive action got underway.
The first Qualifying session kicked off Saturday’s programme. Both drivers showed competitive pace, but the incredibly close field left them some way from the front. Caretti qualified P17 despite being only six tenths of a second away from pole position, while Bergmeister secured P27 on the grid for Race 1.
Once the race got underway, both drivers began making progress through the field. Rayan worked his way into contention for the points-paying positions. The French driver pushed hard throughout the race and crossed the finish line in P14, although a post-race penalty ultimately dropped him to 21st place. Jakob, meanwhile, carved his way through the lower half of the field to secure a positive P18 finish in his first race in the championship.
Sunday brought a new opportunity, with another qualifying session and race still to come. In Qualifying 2, Caretti finished P22, while Bergmeister was P28. During the race, both drivers were making up positions until separate incidents forced each of them to retire.
This brings to an end a difficult weekend, filled with setbacks but also valuable lessons. The drivers have demonstrated both pace and potential, and the entire team will continue working hard to ensure they can fully showcase their abilities in the upcoming rounds.
