Schreiner satisfied by Race 2 improvements but fell short of pre-weekend targets

Carrie Schreiner had one goal heading into Round 2 in Miami — securing back-to-back top eight finishes. Whilst the Kick Sauber driver didn’t quite meet her aim, she’s content to leave the United States with two more points to her name.

Unable to make the progress she’d hoped for in Race 1, Schreiner’s second race ended on a more positive not. Once again qualifying in P13, Schreiner kept herself out of trouble, capitalising on others’ errors to finish P9.

“The second race was much better for me than the first one,” she reflected. “In Race 1, I struggled quite a lot with the car, but then we made some setup changes and then everything went better. After that, I’m happy to score some points.

“My goal was to be in the top eight in both races. Unfortunately, I couldn’t achieve this, but at least I scored some points and try to be better in the next one.”

Schreiner admitted that Round 2 was an uphill battle for her from the get-go, with no previous experience around the Miami International Autodrome forcing her to start from scratch.

Despite the setbacks that Qualifying and Race 1 brought her, the German driver believes her refusal to get bogged down in disappointment spurred her fight for points.

“The most important thing is that you never ever give up on a race weekend,” Schreiner explained. “Even when the Qualifying was bad, you always have the chance to get a good result in the end.

“For me, the biggest challenge was that I didn’t know the track before. I’d driven it on the simulator — it’s quite realistic, but it’s not 100% real. In the beginning I struggled a little bit with the track. So, I needed to learn to get on pace in the beginning."

READ MORE: RACE 2: Pulling completes the Miami double with masterful victory

With almost two months until Round 3 heads to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Schreiner will have plenty of time to reflect on the opening phase of her sophomore campaign.

Eagerly awaiting the return to a more familiar hunting ground, she’s determined push herself up the order on a more consistent basis next time around.

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said. “It’s a track I know really well. Of course, I will do simulator work again for a couple of days to just try to prepare as well as possible for the next race. Last year, Barcelona was okay, but it wasn’t great. I want to achieve more than last year, so my goal again is to be twice in the top eight.”