Making his first competitive appearance behind the wheel of an FC2 car, Niclas Grönholm quickly got up to speed and came close to victory in the opening race of the weekend at Valkenswaard.

While the 2025 World Championship runner-up did not quite have the edge in outright pace, his steady progression throughout the sessions and strong consistency ultimately played in his favour.

Finishing second in Race 1, just behind Oliver Eriksson, the Finnish driver was left with an encouraging assessment of his first outing in FC2 machinery.

“I’m quite pleased with how everything went. After the first free practice session, I almost felt like I had forgotten how to drive, but in the end I made a lot of progress throughout the runs,” Niclas said with a smile.

“We didn’t really change much on the car. The focus was mainly on driving and managing the tyres as well as possible. That’s what we did all day, and every time I went out on track I felt more and more confident.”

Across the heats, Grönholm built his performance on solid foundations. Without ever emerging as the outright benchmark over a single lap, the Finn stood out for his ability to deliver three top-three finishes in the qualifying sessions. That proved enough to secure second place in the intermediate standings. A pragmatic approach that kept him firmly among the front-runners throughout the day.

“On Saturday morning, I made quite a few small mistakes simply because I didn’t yet fully understand how to get the most out of the car, how to stay within the right performance window without overstepping the limit and creating too much sliding. Even with the paddle shifters, the gear changes are a bit different from what I’m used to.”

Gradually, that learning phase gave way to a much sharper understanding of the demands of the FC2.

“I think in the end we had a good strategy. I made very good starts all day, which I’m really happy about. From the beginning it was working well, and that helped a lot because I was often first or second coming out of the first corner, which makes things easier.”

In the final, however, the situation shifted slightly. A few early mistakes allowed Oliver Eriksson to take the upper hand, leaving the GRX driver unable to respond.

“In the final, I had two or three poor laps at the start, Oliver got past me, and I felt like he controlled the race from there. But interestingly, I actually felt cleaner driving behind him than when I was out front on my own. That’s something I need to analyse. Why did I make those mistakes earlier? Maybe I didn’t expect to be leading the final and was a bit nervous, but that’s part of the game.”

“I’m happy with how the day ended. It’s not just about the result, it’s also about the progression. Not necessarily much more speed, but fewer mistakes and a lot more confidence.”

Now increasingly comfortable with the FC2’s characteristics, Grönholm is already identifying areas for improvement heading into the remainder of the weekend, with a greater focus on unlocking the car’s attacking potential.

“From here, we can start focusing more on pushing and on using the push-to-pass. At the start of the day, I felt like I didn’t have time to do everything, and by the end it all comes naturally. In any case, the car is enjoyable to drive. Like with the supercars, it takes time to feel comfortable, but by the end I was really enjoying it.”