‘Hopefully we’ve destabilized PREMA’ – Novalak says Trident have gained momentum in the Teams’ title fight

Trident enjoyed their best round of the season in Spa, scoring 80 points on a weekend when their main title rivals only scored five, and Clément Novalak says it was vital to capitalise on a rare off weekend from the defending champions.

The Frenchman scored 22 points with a string of three top 10 finishes, playing a key role as Trident cut PREMA’s Championship lead down to just 16 points, having entered the weekend with an 88-point deficit.

Meanwhile, the Frenchman’s teammates Jack Doohan and David Schumacher took two wins and a podium.

“Hopefully we’ve destabilized PREMA,” said Novalak. “It’s not common for PREMA to have an off weekend, but I think that we made the most of it in terms of the Teams' Championship.

READ MORE: Hauger plays down title deficit, insisting that PREMA have ‘got the pace to beat’ Doohan

“If we can carry this momentum forward then that would be extremely good because all three drivers have scored good points and that has had a big impact on the Teams' Championship.

“Hopefully we can carry this momentum into the next round. In terms of performance, PREMA are still going to be there, but it’s more difficult when you have a team right behind you, pushing you. We will have a good crack at it in the last two rounds and see where we come out of it.”

Despite finishing in the points in every race – a feat that neither of his teammates managed during a rain-hampered round at Spa – Novalak wasn’t wholly satisfied with his results, scoring himself a “B.”

The Frenchman is yet to qualify in either of the front two rows this year and admits that it’s hampering his results.

HIGHLIGHTS: Doohan takes second Spa win with defensive Race 3 victory

“You can see that Qualifying dictates the weekend most rounds,” he continued. “Qualifying was tough, I could have done a better lap, but we didn’t nail everything together as the team. That then dictates the rest of the weekend, and it was very wet and difficult to pass.

“It was good fun. It is pretty weird going up Eau Rouge and not seeing five metres in front of you, but I guess that’s part of the job. It could have been better, could have been worse.”

With just two rounds to go, the Championship appears to be a two-horse race between Dennis Hauger and Doohan, but Novalak is confident that he can take the spot behind them. The Trident driver is currently sixth with 92 points, just nine off Frederik Vesti in P3.

“It still looks good for a top 3 finish,” he asserted. “I think that’s what we need to focus on in the last two rounds. In the next few races, we will be looking to nail it and get the best result that we can.”