Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 23) – Filipino racing wunderkind Eduardo Coseteng savors his baptism of fire in the British F4.
Coseteng, the first Filipino to race in the British 4 when he finished in eighth place in the Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire, England last May 9, said his performance offered him many opportunities to improve as a driver.
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“It was the first time that I was actually overtaking drivers so it was different. I also learned about standing starts. In karting, it was more of rolling starts but now, you’re in a complete stop and you go from there,” Coseteng shared to CNN Philippines.
The 17-year-old Coseteng bared that his breakthrough first race in Thruxton, where he started in 15th position but finished in fourth place, was made possible when his engineers opted to use slick dry compound tires despite the heavy rains before the event.
“The track was wet and greasy. We all thought the track will dry pretty fast and at the end of the race, the dry tire would probably be faster. It worked,” said Coseteng. “The people who chose the wet tires, they have retired over heat and they weren’t really fast enough in the end.”
In his second race where he finished in 15th place, Coseteng explained that his subpar performance was caused by spending a long time in the pit stop after his car was hit from behind.
“I thought I hit the guy from behind as well… I came to the pit because I thought my race was over and I thought the front wing was damaged,” he narrated.
Rains started to pour during the third race, which affected Coseteng’s race and eventually settled for an 11th place finish.
“I think I got more confident throughout the laps behind the people and got the fastest lap. I think if I’ll have another race again where it is wet, I’ll do better than what I did,” said Coseteng.
The United Kingdom-based Coseteng credited his team Argenti for guiding him in his British F4 debut, especially in making an impact where he recorded the fastest lap in the second and third races.
“In my very first test, they helped me transition to cars from karting quite fast. They told me everything I needed to know and I needed to do,” Coseteng said.
As he continues his journey in the British F4, Coseteng hopes his stint will inspire many Filipinos to pursue their dreams.
“It’s not a lot of us competing internationally. I just want to inspire other people to do their best and give the international level a go and see what they can reach,” said Coseteng, the son of Philippine motorsport legend Jody.
Coseteng will next race in the Snetterton Circuit in Norkfolk, England on June 13.
