For the first time in his career, Dario Cabanelas travelled to the hilly Portimao circuit, one of the most difficult European tracks to learn. In Portugal, the young Swiss hopeful aimed to improve his skills with the support of the MP Motorsport team, and his efforts were rewarded with some brilliant comebacks and a podium finish in the Rookie category. Although Dario was able to show off his skills, penalties also prevented him from collecting more points, but the Eurocup3 driver remains motivated and determined to improve his results even further in the coming races.
Race after race, the Eurocup3 single-seater championship is proving to be a highly competitive affair, with the gaps between the numerous podium contenders continuing to close. In Portimao, the third of the eight races of the 2024 season confirmed this observation. Against this backdrop, Dario Cabanelas worked hard to optimise his car’s set-up and adapt his driving to the demanding Portuguese track. His entry in the top five of the rankings during Free Practice seemed full of promise, but this performance was not confirmed during Qualifying.
“I still need to improve my handling of the new tyres and make better use of them when they are at their most effective. Having to start successively P13, P13 and then P12 in the three races clearly doesn’t correspond with the objectives I’ve set myself. I went on to set an excellent pace in each of the races, but it’s not an advantage to start outside the top 10. It forces you to take risks, with the possibility of encountering various hazards,” regretted Dario.
In Race 1 on Saturday, Dario Cabanelas put on a much better show, climbing from 13th to 7th place after a good start and some controlled overtaking. He also had the satisfaction of climbing onto the third step of the Rookie podium. His fighting spirit was confirmed in Race 2 with further gains in places and lap times close to those of the leading drivers, despite several appearances by the safety car which often cut Dario off. Unfortunately, he was then penalised for ‘track limits’, relegating the Swiss driver to 21st position. His Race 3 again featured a good start and a remarkable progression to 6th position at the chequered flag. Unfortunately, this satisfaction was short-lived, as a new track limits penalty dropped him to 16th.
“It’s frustrating because sometimes I have to go beyond the limits of the track to avoid an incident or another car making a dangerous manoeuvre, without gaining any places. I’ve lost the opportunity to score some important points, so I’m not where I’d hoped to be in the provisional Eurocup3 standings.”
After a three-weekend break, Dario Cabanelas will experience a crucial episode in his 2024 season in July, with three events taking place during July alone, at the Paul Ricard (France), Zandvoort (Netherlands) and Motorland Aragon (Spain) circuits.
