The last race weekend ended in tragedy for Rinaldi Racing.
After the dominant double victory in Misano, the ambitious team from Mendig decided – due to adverse circumstances – not to take part in the final round in Zandvoort. In the qualifying race on Saturday, Norbert Siedler and Jeroen Bleekemolen once again convinced with a strong performance and qualified in fourth place.
The weekend started promisingly at first. Norbert Siedler and Jeroen Bleekemolen piloted the only Ferrari 458 Italia in the fiercely contested championship to fourth place and continued the strong performances of the last races. “We had given ourselves a good starting position for the race,” explained Norbert Siedler. “In the drivers’ standings, I still had all irons in the fire with third place and only 15 points behind the leader.”
Adverse problems in the warm-up ultimately thwarted any chances of a top result in the race and in the title fight for the championship. “It’s just bitter,” Siedler said disappointedly. “After our one-two in Misano, we wanted to attack again here and chase the top. We were forced to leave the car standing.”
Throughout the season, the team around Michele Rinaldi demonstrated a fighting spirit. A big step forward in the championship standings was taken with the double victory in Misano. With a perfect performance, Marco Seefried and Norbert Siedler had almost dominated the weekend in Italy. “Our team has given everything throughout the season,” explains Michele Rinaldi. “We have steadily developed and were in a promising position in the championship at the end. It is tragic that we had to miss the last race and experience the finale as spectators. I would like to thank the whole team and our partners for this successful year and the great performance of each individual.”
Despite the setback at the finale, Rinaldi Racing can be pleased with a successful season: with the Ferrari 458 Italia, the team collected a total of 123 points and finished third in the Blancpain GT Series.
