It was a rather untypical Monaco race: Under a nice blue sky, the second round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup 2024 didn´t see any major incidents or Safety Cars, normally nearly a given in the narrow streets of the principality. That meant that at the tight track where overtaking is nearly impossible, the result was mainly determined by Friday´s qualifying positions. Last year´s winner, Harry King, again made it to the podium for BWT Lechner Racing, this time in P2. The two rookies, Robert de Haan and Theo Oeverhaus, finished in P9 and P12 overall, de Haan also taking the trophy for P2 in the rookie classification. BWT Lechner Racing also kept its lead in the team championship.
At the start, Harry King from P2 this year could not take the lead immediately, like in 2023, as the Top 3 all had good get-aways but had to settle in just behind the leader. While the 23-year-old Brit was always able to follow closely, there was no chance to overtake, so he had to make sure not to risk anything and bring the car home safely. Robert de Haan, who was very unlucky in qualifying on Friday when a Red Flag stopped his fastest lap which most likely would have seen him in P4, had to start from P9. He was involved in some very close fights, even managed to overtake twice, but had to give one position back due to contact and so finished in P9, even having a better speed than many cars in front of him. Theo Oeverhaus was stuck in P12 from the very beginning, ending the race exactly in the position from where he had started.
BWT Lechner Racing Team Principal Robert Lechner: “Another great weekend for Harry King, who again finished in P2. You can´t expect to win every time in Monaco, but as so many things can happen here, coming second is a very good result. Robert, who, as a 17-year-old with no driving license yet would not be allowed to drive in a private car around here, was the secret man of the race for me. He showed an incredible fighting spirit, even managed one or another overtaking and provides a great show for the fans. Theo also did a good job, fulfilled his task of keeping his position and bringing the car home without damage, which is not easy here, especially if racing in the midfield. We scored valuable points in all championships which is very important!”
BWT Lechner Racing Team Manager Michael Schöch: “If you come to Monaco with three cars and two rookies, it is rather tense for the whole team. But now we are really relieved and excited to have finished with two cars on two podiums and having all cars undamaged. This is very important as we will immediately continue with our test program for the upcoming races on circuits you can prepare on and which the drivers know very well. So congratulations and thanks to everybody in the team!”
Harry King: “P2 here in Monaco is always special and a privilege, it counts nearly like a victory. Everybody had about the same start, so there was no chance to take the lead, and overtaking here is very difficult. So then it was a very secure race, I scored important points and am still very close to the top in the championship, so all good! And now I am already looking forward to BWT Lechner Racing´s home race at the Red Bull Ring in a few weeks time.”
Robert de Haan: “It was a good race, I really tried everything to overtake until the end, but it also showed how difficult it is here to get by. And it´s of course great to have a Monaco trophy! The car had a very good speed, so I like it al lot that a busy July is coming up!”
Theo Oeverhaus: “Monaco was a new track for me, and also a great new experience. I learned a lot over this weekend, even if the result was not 100 percent what I had hoped for. Thanks to the team for a great car – and now I can´t wait for the next tracks which I know very well.”