Jenzer Motorsport aiming for more points after strong performance in Barcelona test

24 April 2024

For Jenzer Motorsport, the in-season test in Barcelona was a hugely positive week and has the team riding high into Round 3 of the 2024 season at Imola.

The Swiss outfit were regularly in the mix for the top 10 positions across the three days of the event, as Charlie Wurz, Max Esterson and Matías Zagazeta combined for 645 laps in total.

Team Principal Andreas Jenzer says that they have gathered a lot of positive data and are aiming to make that count in the upcoming races, with Imola being a weekend they have had circled for over a year.

“It was sad that we didn’t get to go to Imola last year. Obviously for what the people of the region went through, that was the most important thing to get things going again there, but from a sporting side we had a very, very strong test there. We are really looking forward to going back.

“We’re aiming at having a strong Qualifying in Imola. I think we’ve showed good race pace in Bahrain and Melbourne. I think we’ve shown that we’re capable of having cars in the points.

“All three drivers are very motivated to go to Imola. They all know the track and are looking forward to it knowing the performance we had there in the tests last year.”

Wurz was on the move in Melbourne, taking a hard-fought P5 finish with some great overtaking

Jenzer’s promising start to 2024 has meant two of their three drivers have already scored points. The eponymous team boss says that he has seen all three show promising pace in each of the races so far, and that their hitting the ground running has been almost half a year in the making.

Wurz, Esterson and Zagazeta each took part in the post-season tests with Jenzer, and it has contributed to a great atmosphere in the garage already says the Team Principal. He believes that is the root factor behind the promising performances at this stage of the year.

“It always helps when you get drivers into the points at the start of a season. They work even harder and trust the team more, and it was a great achievement for Max in Bahrain.

“In Melbourne, we really showed what Charlie was capable of. I think sometimes Charlie wants to be on pole position by three tenths so maybe we have to try and scale that down a bit, but I think he can continue to have great results and I think all three drivers have performed well and have showed great race pace.

“We know the drivers a little bit better because we did all of the tests last year with them and also Macau. I think the working relationship between everybody is already at a high level, and I think that has helped.”

Zagazeta has impressed with his race pace even if points haven't been forthcoming yet

After Esterson’s performance in the Sakhir Sprint Race, Wurz’s Melbourne exploits and Zagazeta’s performances in the data, Jenzer believes that the team is poised to make the wait for a race weekend around Imola count.

First up will be the task of ensuring each driver has a strong chance in both of the races, with a top 12 start paramount to their hopes of more points finishes.

From there, the team believes that they have a great baseline to go from and their pace on race days will stand them in good stead going into the European leg of the campaign.

“When you make a little mistake in Qualifying, you aren’t in the top 10 anymore and there have been some big names already so far that have struggled. If we have three rookies contending for the top 12, we have to be happy with this.

“Charlie is someone who really goes for it. When he gets a possibility to pass someone, he does it. I think he did an absolutely mega job in Melbourne.

“All three have a lot of track knowledge of Imola already so we’re expecting another strong weekend.”