Jules Gounon strikes again after the GT World Challenge Sprint Cup in Misano by grabbing pole position for race 1 at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours. The Frenchman, racing under the umbrella of Andorra, put the pedal to the metal to beat everyone else.
In the final phase of the qualifying session Max Hesse and Lucas Auer seemed to be on route to the pole position, but Gounon fought back. The Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing driver was faster than everyone else by setting a lap of 1:36.023, which delivered him the ROWE Pole Position Award.
Gounon subs in for Chris Lulham once again, who is recovering from an appendix surgery. Gounon himself, however, wasn’t feeling one hundred percent healthy coming into the weekend either, which made the pole position a surprise. “Very good! It was not expected,” he tells GT REPORT after the session.
“I’m replacing Chris again and I was very tired coming here. I had an ear infection, I stayed in the hospital and so on. To be honest, I’m having a very bad season in DTM, so every time I can go drive and prove to myself that I never left, is something that I enjoy. Two times in the sprint, two times pole, that’s really good.”
Max Verstappens underwear delivering the extra tenths
Gounon emphasizes his gratitude for the team, Verstappen Racing and 2 Seas Motorsport, for getting the car in good shape. “It felt amazing. I’m looking forward to the race,” he adds. Like in Misano, Gounon had a special good luck charm: Max Verstappen’s underwear. When asked about it, he laughs and opens his racing suit to show the name and flag of the four time Formula 1 world champion on his fireproofs.
“Of course I’m wearing them again,” he laughs, especially when GT REPORT points out that he is, in the end, the one pulling the extra tenths out of the car himself. “Yeah, but I love the relationship with Max. I think it’s quite cool that he left me these pants. I put them on, I knew it worked in Misano, and I put them on again here, and it worked again.”
Gounon never gives up: ‘I keep believing’
This result following the weekend in Misano almost feels a bit like a relief after all the bad luck Gounon, Dani Juncadella and Chris Lulham have had during their season so far. “Yes, but I don’t believe in bad luck,” Gounon says. “I just believe that you always need to keep pushing. The only losers are the ones who quit.”
He continues: “I’m really happy to not be quitting, still keep believing in the team and in everybody and I hope we have a good race today.” Verstappen Racing showed good pace in FP1 on Friday, after which FP2 ended early due to severe weather conditions. “We didn’t drive last night because of the rain, so there will be some small uncertainties. Let’s see tonight if we can still be quick.”
