Round 14 Post-Sprint Race Press Conference

FIA Formula 2: Hello and welcome to the Press Conference of the Top three Sprint Race finishes in FIA Formula 2 here in Abu Dhabi. In third place we have Paul Aron from Hitech Pulse Eight, in second is Gabirel Bortoleto from Invicta Racing and taking the win is Josep María Martí from Campos Racing, Pepe your first victory in Formula 2, how sweet does that feel?
Josep María Martí: It feels amazing, we had a great race. I think it was one of the toughest of the year, in the sense that it was flat out the whole time, being quite smart with how I drove but pretty much flat out. The tyres were dropping as well and I had to be really smart with my driving and having a certain Brazilian who is very fast for most of the race, didn’t really help. It was a nice race and a great feeling.
FIA Formula 2: The start was crucial to you victory, talk us through your launch from fourth to first.
Martí: I dropped the clutch, and I was instantly side by side with Duerksen. He tried to defend to the left but there was not much he could do. I was alongside with Cordeel, I had to send it quite a bit on the entry. But it was good enough to be on the front by T2.
FIA Formula 2: You mentioned Gabriel chasing you down. You looked comfortable from our position, but did you feel the pressure of him try to close that gap in the closing stages of the race?
Martí: Yes and no. You have the gap that’s coming down. At some point it stabilised, and it comes down a bit again and it stabilises again. It was a wondering gap the whole time. I knew if I kept driving the way I was driving, when he was closing a tenth a lap, I was more than safe. I was just keeping my head down and trying to do the best I could do with what I had.
FIA Formula 2: Congratulations. Gabriel P2 again but I imagine this is very satisfying for you.
Gabriel Bortoleto: Very good. Starting P9 and finishing P2 is very good. We had good pace as well so that makes me very confident for tomorrow as well where I start P2. It’s going to be very interesting, I am excited to see what we can do tomorrow in the race. We know that Paul is starting just behind me and Isack is P4 for let’s see what we can do. Happy, congrats to Pepe for his first win. It hasn’t been easy for him this season, but I think he is a fast driver, and he showed today that he can keep up a very good pace and win a race. Congrats.
FIA Formula 2: You certainly weren’t playing it safe out there today you went on the attack early on, talk us through those opening laps.
Bortoleto: I was just trying to avoid crashing to be honest. In T1 I saw a lot of smoke coming out just in front of me. I tried to avoid it and to overtake people when I could. Everything ran perfectly. I went to the outside in the chicane and Martins got hit my Myiata maybe I don’t know. It was positive, not that he crashed, but that I didn’t get hit by him. It was super close, I was side by side. It’s a shame for him because I heard he had good pace too.
FIA Formula 2: You go into the final race with a five-and-a-half-point lead, is that better than you were expecting this morning?
Bortoleto: He started in front of me so normally I would expect, in a normal and similar paced race, we would have been more or less in the same positions or going forward but he would still be ahead if I didn’t make something extra happen today. But I am very happy that we did. Good to be leading the Championship going to the last race of the year, starting ahead so it is very positive.
FIA Formula 2: Paul, also the same seat for you as yesterday with P3. How was that race from your perspective?
Paul Aron: Like Gabriel said also, congratulations also to Pepe. I think he did a very good race, I mean both of them I think were in a different league this race at least compared to me, I don’t know what was going on behind. But big congrats to him, I got my first win last weekend and I know what it feels like, so I think he will enjoy this one and it’s great to have it in the last round, finish the season on a high, but it was a tough race for me to be honest. I think it was quite clear the top two guys were flying, and I was managing my race as much as possible. I got a bit caught up in the mess at the beginning, in the start but luckily, I managed to avoid all of it and started to make it through the pack, step by step. But the way Gabriel moved forward in the beginning after Lap two I knew I couldn’t do that, and I just waited, saved my tyres and when the others started to drop, I made my move.
FIA Formula 2: How tough was it to balance taking risk at the start of that race in those first few laps because it looked like some close incidents into Turn 6 as well?
Aron: I mean if I am honest when it goes down like that in the start you don’t have any time to think about how many risks you take or what the situation is with the points or where the other guys are, who you are fighting with. I think you need to put all your focus into managing the situation and I just tried to pick my way through it but you know a lot is also down to where you are when things happen and it’s true in Turn 1 I was on the outside when there was a bunch up on the inside, I managed to avoid it but definitely the guys who were on the inside gained quite a bit and Turn 6 the same, I was on the outside and it cost me a bit of time again. So, sometimes it goes like that, you can never control how these things turn out, but the important thing is you do the best to come out of it and I think it was still a very solid beginning of the race.
FIA Formula 2: I hate to finish on a slightly low note but mathematically you are now out of the title fight, 27 and a half points behind, but how proud are of your rookie season to take it right down to the final round?
Aron: I mean I kind of accepted that this title was not mine to take coming into this last round. I think it was the only right mindset because I was far enough, but it would have been nice to go into the last race still knowing that there is still a slight chance and to go to sleep with some dreams, but it is what it is. I mean Gabriel has had a very strong season, I am also very proud of my season, I think as a rookie it is never easy in Formula 2 and I think the relationship I have built with Hitech this year has been very beneficial for both me and them and we’ve had a strong season, I think I am leading the podiums now, finally. I’ve got the most poles and we have shown good pace throughout the year, but some things didn’t turn out how we wanted in the middle of the year which cost us a lot of points and Gabriel has been very consistent, also with Isack and they pulled away. They’ve both done a very good year, but I am also proud of my season. Of course, I would have liked to have fought for the title until the very end, but it is what it is. I can’t say I am not happy with the season.
FIA Formula 2: Congratulations, well done everyone.