Robert de Haan happy to put Paradine Competition on pole: "GT3 is the place to be"

Back in the GT World Challenge Europe paddock with Paradine Competition, Robert de Haan (20) is using the Portimão seaon’s finale to build his experience, measure himself against established names and show that he deserves a permanent place on the grid.

He already managed to do so by putting in a mega lap for the team during qualifying. In Q3, he drove the pole-winning lap of 1:41.971 that put the crew of the #991 BMW M4 GT3 Evo on Bronze Cup pole. “I’m very, very happy with that qualifying,” De Haan says. “Big thanks to Paradine Competition for giving me the tools and the car to do it.

“Everything has been perfect and I had a really strong car underneath me. For sure, it’s an important qualifying for the team, so I’m happy to grab pole position in class. It’s going to help our starting position for the race. Now we’ve just got to focus on the race. It’s a three-hour race, so we’ve got to focus on that.

“Keep the car in one piece and bring it over the line, hopefully in the same position as where we qualified it.”

De Haan joins Paradine Competition again

Sharing the #991 BMW with James Kellett and Daren Leung for the final Endurance Cup round, De Haan arrives with plenty of recent racing behind him. Finding his rhythm has therefore not been a problem. The young Dutchman easily jumps from a Porsche Cup car – in which he became vice champion in Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and champion in Porsche Carrera Cup Germany – to the BMW M4 GT3 Evo. Turning these opportunities into something more permanent is the next step.

“It feels really good to be back in the GT World Challenge paddock,” De Haan tells GT REPORT. “That is the step we want to make, and it is definitely where I want to be next year. “I really appreciate Darren [Leung] bringing me here again for the finale in Portimão and giving me the opportunity to prove myself in his car. Hopefully, that will open up more opportunities for next year and help me secure a full-time seat in GT World Challenge.”

The strength of the field makes Portugal a useful place to do exactly that. Due to the clash with the 6 Hours of Barcelona – a World Endurance Championship weekend – some drivers have stepped in. For example: Max Verstappen. For De Haan, racing alongside experienced GT drivers provides a clear indication of where he stands and what he still needs to improve. “It is a special event this weekend with all the drivers who have come here,” he adds.

“I think a lot of the best drivers in the world are here, so it is a good benchmark against some seriously fast and experienced talent. We will see how the weekend develops.”

Adjusting to the BMW M4 GT3 Evo

Moving between a Cup car and GT3 machinery means that each appearance brings another period of adjustment. The more time De Haan spends in the BMW, the more comfortable he becomes with what it needs from him. “Every weekend I come here, I have to get back into a GT3 car, and that is always different from a Cup car,” he explains. “But the more laps you do, the more you get used to it and the better you feel in the car.”

At Paradine, that learning process extends beyond his own laps. Access to reference data from BMW’s factory drivers gives him something concrete to work with before going out and when reviewing a session: “The team has all that data from factory drivers. It always helps to look at it beforehand and after the sessions, to compare and see where they are doing things better. It is really useful that the team has all that information and data available, because it can only help you as a driver and make you faster.”

The weekend in Portimão is De Haan’s third weekend of the season with Paradine Competition. There is still experience to gain, but the car already feels like a good fit. “I have really been looking forward to racing in GT3. The car suits me very well. I enjoy driving it, so being able to race here with a BMW Motorsport customer team is certainly a privilege.”

His own development is only part of the job this weekend. With Leung still in championship contention, De Haan also has an immediate team objective to focus on. “I think there are still quite a few opportunities for Darren, because he is still fighting for the championship and can still win it. That is our aim, and that is what we are going for,” he says.

Gaining experience in endurance racing

His enthusiasm for endurance racing has already been reinforced by success. De Haan points to victories in the 24 Hours of Dubai, which he managed in a full Dutch line-up with Huub van Eijndhoven, Ralph Poppelaars and Wouter Boerekamps. The 12 Hours of Spa was also an important experience of sharing a GT3 car over a longer distance.

“My first proper endurance race was the 24 Hours of Dubai. After that, I also did the 12 Hours of Spa in a GT3 R, and we managed to win both races. That was certainly a good first step in gaining endurance racing experience,” De Haan says. Now he wants to build on those results. A full-time GT3 programme would give him the opportunity to develop consistently, while also putting him in front of the manufacturers that could help shape the next stage of his career.

“I think GT3 is the place to be. If you want to move up to Hypercar, you first have to prove yourself here, especially to the manufacturers. The best thing would be to get picked up by a manufacturer that is also involved in Hypercar and eventually progress there. I think that is the highest level of motorsport at the moment, apart from Formula 1.”

For now, the opportunity is in the #991 BMW. But the longer-term destination is already clear: “It is definitely the dream to race a Hypercar at the 24 Hours of Le Mans one day.”