The "slow" time is also coming to an end for Sebastian and Andreas Estner: soon they will be back in the racing car.
Wall - Deceleration is difficult to fashion in Corona times. Andreas and Sebastian Estner can even read their (forced) slower lifestyle on the speedometer. Instead of chasing along the routes at well over 200 kilometers per hour, the two brothers from Wall are often jerking along the streets in the district of Miesbach at a snail's pace. “When it comes to cleaning up oil spills, it's not that fast,” says Andreas Estner, who, like his brother, learns automotive mechatronics in his parents' accident repair company.
Actually, the Estners would have been on the racetracks in Europe long ago. As reported, they signed with the Dutch top team Van Amersfoort Racing for the 2020 season of the Euroformula Open. But shortly before the first test drives came the Europe-wide lockdown. And the fast brothers also had to stay at home. There they tried to prepare for the start of the season with fitness and a simulator. For a long time, the Estners did not know whether and when this would take place.
Eight race weekends between July and November
But now they have certainty at last. Even before Formula 1, the organizer of the Euroformula Open published a new calendar. And that's quite sporty. Eight race weekends are on the program from late July to early November. The Hungaroring in Hungary will kick off from July 23 to 26. Then it goes on to Paul Ricard (France), Red Bull Ring (Austria), Monza and Mugello (Italy), Spa (Belgium) as well as Barcelona and Jarama (Spain). The races in Pau (southern France) and at the Hockenheimring have been deleted without replacement. There is no home race for the Estners this year.
But the racers can get over that. "We are just happy that we can still drive this year," says Andreas Estner. Even if he is now facing an extremely stressful second half of the year. After the journeyman's examination in June, he also has to take various tests during his studies. That is why Andreas Estner even voluntarily does without two test days.
No time comparison possible despite tests
The brothers have already done a few laps in the new Dallara 320, which will be used for the first time in the Euroformula Open. At the end of May, they were allowed to drive the racing car on the new Formula 1 track in Zandvoort, the Netherlands. The journey went smoothly. In order to avoid possible quarantine, however, the aircraft was dispensed with and the car was driven across the border.
The brothers also noticed the consequences of the corona virus on the route itself. "We had to wear masks," says Andreas Estner. But only outside the car, he notes with a smile. "Otherwise we have the helmet on." Estner is also satisfied with the test results. But because only the Van Amersfoort team was on the track, you couldn't make a time comparison. The setup of the car, on the other hand, has been fine-tuned. And the Estners also had to find a physical deficit of the long corona break: their neck muscles ached because they were no longer used to the centrifugal forces due to the high speeds. "It's difficult to train at home," says Andreas Estner. Especially not when cleaning up oil spills.