Colombo reflects on PREMA Racing’s outstanding Zandvoort success as 2024 Teams’ battle heats up

PREMA Racing Team Manager Camilla Colombo was full of praise for her team’s efforts during Round 4 in Zandvoort, which included a 1-2 finish in Race 2 as well as fielding an impressive Wild Card Entry.

Two of the Italian outfit’s racers finished on the podium in the Netherlands, with Doriane Pin building on her Race 2 pole position to win – her first victory since the opening round in Jeddah – as she continues to hunt down Drivers’ Standings leader Abbi Pulling.

She was joined in the top three by Maya Weug, who improved on her P3-worthy performance from Race 1 to stand on the second step of the podium in Race 2.

Reflecting on Round 4, Colombo was delighted that PREMA could bounce back from a disappointing weekend last time out in Barcelona to cut their deficit to Rodin Motorsport down to just six points.

“I would say it’s a very challenging weekend for us, because two races in three hours is a very short time,” Colombo explained. “At the end we reached the best result that we can to finish first and second. I think it’s a very good result for the team, both in terms of the championship and in terms of the points Standings.

“I’m quite happy for all my drivers. I think (Wild Card) Nina (Gademan) is a very competitive driver - she showed how much she is ready to race in this series and I think she showed all her value, even if she was penalised in Race 2 for race contact. But we are very, very happy about her weekend, and also for Doriane, Maya and Tina (Hausmann).”

Pin has reduced the deficit to series leader Pulling to 71 points as both competitors took victories in Zandvoort. With three rounds remaining and 168 points to play for, there are still plenty of opportunities for the French driver to fight for the title, especially as she has now created a points advantage over third-placed Chloe Chambers.

“I think she needed to be back on the first step of the podium,” Colombo said of Pin’s weekend. “She’s a very strong driver and she continues to work hard to reach her goal, but I think she deserved to be first this time.”

READ MORE: Jessica Edgar’s Zandvoort Weekend Round-Up: There’s work to do and a lot to learn from

With the battle also heating up in the Teams’ Standings, Colombo emphasised the importance of continuing PREMA’s high points-scoring streak in Singapore. “It’s very, very important because we have to try to reduce the gap and overtake Rodin to defend the title that we got last year,” she said.

“I think we have to work hard to maintain our high level. There is only so long (left), so everything can happen until the end.”

With Pin and Weug taking trophies home across the weekend, the same couldn’t be said for teammate Hausmann who finished Race 1 in 11th and Race 2 in ninth – though she missed out on points in the first race by just 0.121s to Carrie Schreiner.

However, Colombo recognised her development as a driver over the season, stating: “Tina struggled a bit at the beginning, but at the end she was able to put all her learning together and to show us that she can progress very quick.

“We believe she’s a very good driver. It’s her first year and we fully understand that her experience is not at the same level as her teammates, but we are very, very happy about her. She has very good potential and a good attitude, so I’m happy that she can catch some points here. I’m sure that in Singapore she can do better.”

That positive attitude seems to be a recurring quality among the PREMA racers, including Zandvoort’s Wild Card Nina Gademan, who impressed by scoring 13 points over the two races in The Female Quotient-liveried car.

“She came in our team on Wednesday, so the time to learn each other is very short but we were able to integrate her in our team very quickly,” Colombo said. “She started to learn at the beginning of this weekend and I think she’s very positive as a driver and a person, so we are very, very happy to have her with us.”