Jenzer Motorsport 2024 Review: Signing off

Having been around from the very start, 2024 marked the final season for Jenzer Motorsport in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. The Swiss outfit has been ever-present and produced some great F3 highlights and memories, this season was no different. While eponymous Team Princpal Andreas admits that it was a more difficult year than he’d originally envisioned, he was proud of the team’s hard work throughout with their three rookies: Max Esterson, Matías Zagazeta and Charlie Wurz. “After winter testing and having done Macau with the three drivers we were going to run in the 2024 season, we expected a bit more in terms of results,” Jenzer admitted. Campos Racing 2024 Review: A bittersweet season “I think we always showed good speed, we qualified in the top 15 many times and I think for three rookies, this is a solid level that you could expect and that’s quite a good achievement. “We wanted more but then we always want more. I think the FIA F3 season is always a rollercoaster. You have 30 drivers and when you think about it, the driver that won the Championship this year didn’t win a race. “When I see how many times we qualified in front of some of the title contenders or those in the top three or top five finishers – I have to say we maybe didn’t produce the results, but the car was as fast as the others. For me, it was a bit of a special season. In all of the Qualifying’s, I think a lot of drivers tripped over their own feet many times.” Team Principal Andreas Jenzer highlighted Zagazeta’s podium at the Silverstone SprintReflecting on Zagazeta’s season, Jenzer immediately highlighted the Silverstone weekend in which the Peruvian driver secured P3 in a manic Sprint Race. The Team Principal did add that he’d hoped for more, but paid tribute to the drive that earned Jenzer their only podium of 2024. “The Silverstone situation was good, we were happy to walk away with P3, but we had three cars in the top 10 in Qualifying. We were expecting more points for the team but that didn’t happen. We had the penalty with Charlie and then the rain tyre decision. “We should have probably watched the British team. There was only one British team in Rodin making the right decision. Normally Jenzer Motorsport is known for this kind of decision to be on the right tyres at the right time, but this time we were not.” Trident 2024 Review: An incredible ending Esterson arrived at Jenzer after a handful of F3 races in 2023 though still classified as a rookie. Teammate Wurz was also fresh to F3 racing, and the pair were in the points this season, a positive for both says Jenzer. Jenzer says that the American put together a decent campaign considering his relative inexperience and that his efforts behind the scenes were impressive as he worked with the team. “With all the racing Max did before, I think it was a big step doing FIA F3 and not knowing the circuits in Europe. He’d raced in Britain, and I think F3 was a big step up, but I think he managed very well in the end. Jenzer also praised the work of Esterson and Wurz this season“In terms of Qualifying percentages, he was our highest-placed driver. It’s a pleasure to work with him, he’s very professional. “For Charlie, he had the mistake in Monaco after having so much expectation for that weekend. I think being so young it can be difficult to result and come back from that, so I think Charlie expected better results and it just didn’t come together.” Reflecting on 2024 overall, Jenzer says that Silverstone is the obvious highlight though paid attention to Esteron and Wurz’s best efforts in Sakhir and Melbourne respectively. AIX Racing 2024 Review: A difficult but rewarding season He added that while it’s time to say goodbye to F3, he has enjoyed the competition in the paddock throughout the team’s time in the Championship. “The Silverstone podium is the highlight. Looking at this and then Melbourne, the race where Charlie was absolutely great coming from so far back and getting into the top places. And Max did a great race at the start of the year in Bahrain, so they’ve each had a great showing this year. “It’s a tough Championship but we would still like to produce some great new talents in motorsport over the next few years. I will miss the professionalism of the F3 and F2 paddock. If I was 10 years younger, you’d have me for another 10 years here.”