Tramnitz keen to be more ‘aggressive’ on Sunday after finishing fifth in Monte Carlo Sprint

Tim Tramnitz was pleased to finish fifth in Saturday’s Monte Carlo Sprint Race but admits his impressive showing only added to his Qualifying disappointment where he missed out on pole.

The MP Motorsport driver gained a place from P6 on the grid in the Sprint, and from then on followed his teammate Alessandro Giusti across the line to achieve a sixth consecutive points result.

Reflecting on the 23-lap dash around the Principality, Tramnitz said: “I am happy with today, it was a good day for us. To gain a place in Monaco is not easy. We had a good start, and we went from P6 to P5 in the first lap.

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“It was a bit difficult to keep up with the guys in front because all of them had new tyres and I was the first one on old tyres, but still the car felt very good, and we were competitive. We have a new tyre saved for tomorrow, which should help.

“In general, I'm not happy. I was a bit unlucky yesterday with a yellow flag costing us pole, which is a shame. I felt like I did my job good for once, doing good in quali, and in the end we get a bit unlucky.

“But that's how it is. Even on weekends when the luck is not on your side, it's important to be consistent, and to always be there in the points. That's what we have to do tomorrow, again. So, I am looking forward to a fun race.”

Tramnitz finished third in Group B with a 1:25.425, just 0.093s off leader Roman Bilinski, who is set to line up in second place on Sunday.

When asked if his pace on Saturday added to his frustrations from Qualifying, the German replied: “For sure it does. On the other hand, you always need to see the bigger picture. It's always a give and take.

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“If you would get frustrated over something like this out of your control, then it gets increasingly more difficult for you mentally. So, I feel like we need to take away the positives. It's what we always say but it's really like this.

“Also, the team, I have to say, are doing an amazing job. The car is very quick, and I feel like we will be competitive again in Barcelona. Hopefully, we will do a good quali there and then have a good race as well where there will be some overtaking opportunities. Looking forward to next week as well.”

But with attentions placed firmly back on the final race of the weekend around the Principality, Tramnitz is keen to repeat his Sprint antics by gaining a place at the start.

A third podium of the season would also be a cherished outcome for the Red Bull Junior, although he admits simply achieving a good result will suit him just fine.

“I feel like if you can get a good start, you can gain a place immediately at the start, then you need to take some risks to overtake,” preview Tramnitz.

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“But I feel like you need to be a little bit aggressive as well, and usually the race pace is quite strong and also the race craft, we always move forward, no matter where we started.

“If you can gain two places in Monaco, it's already a very good race. There are many laps tomorrow, there is a lot that can happen, and to end up on the podium would be great for sure but on this track, I'd be happy with just gaining a place or two.”