Interview
‘Let’s talk after Sochi’- Shwartzman confident he can go up a level from Monza
Despite adding a fourth podium to his tally in the second Sprint Race, Robert Shwarztman departed Monza with a tinge of frustration, admitting that he made his “life very complicated” by only Qualifying in 12th.
Even with the positional handicap, Shwartzman still managed to score three top-six finishes, with two P6s sandwiching third in the second Sprint, explaining that he went “all out” in the races to make up the lost ground.
“Qualifying destroyed everything for what could have been an easy fight in all three races for a win,” said Shwartzman. “I made my life very complicated. I just had to go all out in the races to give myself an advantage.
“The Feature Race was pretty good. Our start was good, and the fighting and moves were good. The second stint on the primes was a bit of a struggle, but I still don't think it was too bad. We tried to do a setup change and I think it was wrong.
“It is something to learn from and something to know. There were a lot of Safety Cars and (Dan) Ticktum had a pretty good advantage with the Safety car, which allowed him to get in front of us.”
With less than two weeks to go until his home event in Sochi, Shwartzman says he’s “pretty sure” he’s already gotten to the bottom of their struggles on Friday in Monza and feels that it’s a fix that can be implemented ahead of the trip to Russia, where he took the Formula 3 title two years ago.
“I will try to work on different things,” he continued. “Hopefully we can find something good - I am pretty sure I know what it is. I need to work a little bit on it myself. But in Sochi, we will go there and kick everybody's ass. I am very excited. It feels good to be going there.
“My target is to be strong at every single track and to think less and do more. I want to enjoy it more and have fun. Full attack and full send. We need a really good Quali, have really good race pace, do really good starts, have good race management, and get some wins and podiums and then we will talk. It is too early now, but let’s talk after Sochi."
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Asked to elaborate on the remark that he needs to “think less and do more,” Shwartzman added: “I need to work more on instinct. I need to get more feeling with what I am doing and how I am driving, instead of just thinking.
“I would say that I’ve over pushed myself a little bit in terms of thinking, planning, and controlling things. I should just let go more and let my natural instincts do the job. I think that's where I am going to gain the performance.”