Italian living, honest advice and travelling the world: Getting to know the real Roman Stanek

Sticking with Trident for his rookie Formula 2 campaign, Roman Stanek has quickly grown into a fan of things in Italy. There are plenty of good memories for him on Italian soil, and he doesn’t mind a good pizza either.

Ahead of the final round in his rookie campaign, it’s about time we got to know the Czech driver a little better. Here is Stanek on his home from home, love of cycling and traveling the world.

WHERE DO YOU CONSIDER HOME?

“It’s a tough question because I live in Italy now and to be honest, I quite like it there. I can imagine living there in the future too. Czech Republic is where I grew up and that’s my real home. I live very close to the Slovakia-Poland border. You have Prague and then you go all the way to the right, and that’s where I am.

“I moved to Italy since I graduated to F2, but I’d been there so many times in the past that I basically made a deal with the hotel that I could stay. Then I decided to get an apartment and now I stay there.”

OUTSIDE OF MOTORSPORT, WHICH SPORTSPERSON DO YOU ADMIRE THE MOST?

“I would say Conor McGregor. Ok, on some things he’s said I disagree, absolutely. On some things though he’s the best. He made the whole UFC bigger. It’s because of him they shot it to the moon. I think he’s a good person and good for the fans, he knows what he wants and he’s an athlete I look forward to watching perform.”

WHO ARE YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS ON THE GRID?

“I would say I have quite a good friendship with Jak Crawford going back to racing with each other at Hitech. We were also able to fight last year.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CHEAT MEAL?

“My favourite cheat meal is pizza. I would have prosciutto, ricotta and some little tomatoes. Schnitzel with french fries and mayo and all the worst things you can have. I love it.”

IF YOU COULD RELIVE A MOMENT FROM YOUR CAREER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

“The choice I made to go to Formula 3 in 2020. It was too early. My management, we did a bad thing that shouldn’t have happened. I would go back to the end of 2019 and make a different decision, but that’s the past and I’ve learned from it.”

READ MORE: Keeping it sleek and simple: Roman Stanek on his 2023 helmet design

IF YOU WEREN’T A RACING DRIVER, WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR A JOB?

“I cannot imagine a job outside of racing. I would clean the roads probably! Joking. I would try to be a professional cyclist. I enjoy it and I do it a lot for training and if I have time.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIE AND TV SERIES

“TV series would be Breaking Bad or Peaky Blinders. A favourite movie would be Interstellar. That’s a great one.”

WHAT IS THE LAST SONG YOU LISTENED TO?

“I’ll have to check, one second. I can hear it in my head but can’t remember the name. Hate it or love it by 50 Cent. I have one playlist I use for a race weekend, but this was the last one I listened to.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE RACING MEMORY?

“I would say my first win in F3, last year in Imola. That was very good. I managed to win, and it felt great with an Italian team too in front of all the fans, it felt great.”

WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN?

“Never give up. Never give up on anything you do. It’s the same in racing as it is in business. If I want to run a marathon under a certain time, you struggle while you’re training but you cannot give up in your mind. It’s simple but it’s good advice.”

WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?

“Either my watch or my bike. It’s a road bike, skinny and streamlined racing bike.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE YOU’VE EVER BEEN TO AND ONE PLACE YOU HAVEN’T VISITED BUT WOULD LIKE TO?

“The best place I’ve been to is Australia. There was this place called Sorrento, not the Italian one. It was amazing there. The ocean looked straight from a movie, it was very nice.

“A place I would like to go is Iceland, I would love to go during the winter and swim in the frozen lakes. I’m sure I would do it if I went. The nature is out of this world too, so maybe I’ll go one time.”