Convincing his family to let him race and moving to Europe: Samaia on the moments that made him

A double-title winner in his home country of Brazil, Guilherme Samaia risked everything to move to Europe and compete in the Road to F1 single-seater scene.

We spoke to the Brazilian who looked over his list of key moments and picked out the three that made him.

1. CONVINCING MY FAMILY TO LET ME RACE

“In this life, in motor racing, you need to have a lot of dedication. We sweat a lot to get where we are and my road to this point has not been easy. My family didn't actually like racing, and they didn't want me to be here, so there had to be this turning point in my life where I changed their minds, which I did thankfully. That was quite a big moment for me because it was important to have their support.

“It is a long story, but they tried to hold me back for a little while because they didn't want me to do this as a career. For my father, go-karting was a hobby. A healthy hobby that gave you discipline and dedication, which was good fun for young people, whereas for me, it was always serious.

“Not being able to progress as I wanted to was difficult because it stopped me from evolving and developing, but I gave my whole life to it and told them that I was going to dedicate everything to it. They saw that dedication in me, and they gave me a chance and that was a big change for me, it was very important.”

2. WINNING TITLES IN BRAZIL

“Once I had convinced them, I had some really good moments in Brazil: I became a two-time champion, in Brazilian F3 light and Brazilian F3, before I moved to Europe. I really enjoyed those years and got to know a lot of different places in Brazil. The car was really nice to drive and I had a lot of support.

“Those wins remain amongst my best days in motorsport. I had my last race in Brazil at Interlagos. All of my friends and family were there and I won the race, which meant that I won the Championship. That was a really special moment for me.”

3. MOVING TO EUROPE

“Moving to Europe was difficult and has been really up and down, but that makes you grow a lot, both personally and professionally. You challenge your own internal limits as well as your limits on track. It was difficult to leave everything behind at home in Brazil, without knowing anything or anyone, but you have to dedicate your entire life, every single day, to this sport.

“I miss the environment of being home and I miss seeing my family and friends, but I moved to the UK to race. It was actually quite a sudden move, as I wasn't supposed to move that year, I had no plans to. It was literally a case of me deciding five days before to move to London. I really didn’t know anything. I didn’t even know who I was going to work with.

“I stayed on my own for a while and that helped me to grow a lot. Since then, I have lived in other places in Europe, but I go back to Brazil whenever I can to visit home. It has made me a stronger person and much more professional.”