Over the weekend, Sebastian Gravlund raced in the last event of F4 Spain before the summer break. On the legendary Spa Francorchamps track, the young talent had to realize that raw speed is not enough for significant results.

On the long straights, one can gain a significant advantage by slipstreaming – staying in the draft behind competitors. However, when the 16-year-old race driver had to qualify, there was no one to draft behind.

– I actually had quite a good speed in the car, but still, I was quite a bit away from the best drivers in the field. My best-placed teammate gained well over a second just because of slipstreaming, so if I had had that opportunity, I could probably have been a bit further up.

Sebastian qualified as 17th, 16th, and 18th out of 31 drivers for the weekend’s three races, but the challenges didn’t stop after qualification.

– I made one of my good starts in the first race, but in the middle of the field, it gets driven hard, and chances are taken to move forward – and I do that too – so after a bit of turmoil, my front wing was damaged, and I had to go to the pit, says Sebastian Gravlund, who also didn’t have the luckiest run in the second heat.

Here, in the first turn, he was pushed over one of the “sausage curbs” located outside the track. Once he was back on the track, he was at the back of the field with no chance of catching up. Thus, there was a full focus on a strong finish in the weekend’s final race:

– I had a good start and gained some positions, but made a driving mistake and dropped to the back of the field. Then, when the safety car was on the track for a few laps, I managed to gain some more positions, but then there was the safety car again – then you can get a little impatient, laughs Sebastian, who could gain a few more positions when the race was given the green flag.

But then it was over. A major crash late in the race meant that the race was ended prematurely, and Sebastian was noted for a 19th place. Far from the results he had hoped for:

– Actually, I think I had good speed and made some good overtakes in the races, but I still lack experience compared to competitors who have driven a season or two in the class, so I know that it’s about me learning even more than I already have, says Sebastian, who has his focus on one particular area during the summer break:

– I need to practice the qualifications because once I get among the top ten, there is much less trouble and battles between the drivers. Then I can focus on moving forward instead of just surviving, and that’s where I can truly become good, concludes Sebastian.