Round 7 Post Qualifying Press Conference

FIA Formula 2: Hello and welcome to the Press Conference of the top three qualifiers for the FIA Formula 2 Championship here in Spielberg. In third place we have Gabriel Bortoleto from Invicta Racing in second we have Joshua Duerksen from AIX Racing and P1 today is Dennis Hauger from MP Motorsport. Dennis your second Pole Position and by just eight thousandths of a second, how good was your lap out there?

Dennis Hauger: It was really nice obviously to get some momentum back after a really difficult weekend. To get the motivation, we really worked hard on the simulator to try and specify the things I needed to work on. To see the work pay off with the team is just really enjoyable. It was close, it’s always tight in the Red Bull Ring so you really need to put everything together. I am really happy we did the job and got the pole.

FIA Formula 2: You mentioned the work you have done, no points for you last weekend in Barcelona, how important was it to bounce back at the first opportunity this weekend?

Hauger: For sure it was important and really nice to make it happen obviously. You can do all the work and then when you go on track sometimes it’s just not working properly, and you don’t really know why. So today, to put the work into action is a nice feeling.

FIA Formula 2: You start on Pole on Sunday, but this track can give exciting racing with three DRS zones, what do you think you can achieve on Saturday?

Hauger: To be honest I don’t think this is the best track to get Pole on. Either way I am happy with that. It think tomorrow there are lots of opportunities. It’s a track where a lot of things can happen. You need to stay in the game, stay in the train as well in terms of always being up there. Usually we are quick in the races, we have good race pace. It’s just about keeping good momentum into Sunday and having good feeling with the car.

FIA Formula 2: Congratulations on the Pole. Josh you were so close to your first Pole in F2 but still your best qualifying result, how do you reflect on the session?

Joshua Duerksen: I am really happy, we all knew that it would be really tight in Austria since it is a short lap. It’s crazy, if you think about it, if I had drained maybe even just 100ml less fuel, I might have been on Pole. This close, it’s the difference. I am really happy of course. When I saw the screen 0.0, at one point I was disappointed not to be P1 but at the same time really happy to be P2. The team is improving so much, I am improving my driving. The work is paying off and of course extremely happy with this result. Looking for the podium now.

FIA Formula 2: You started at the sharp end in Imola and you finished on the podium there, how do you feel about your race pace here from what you have seen?

Duerksen: I think it will be quite good. Usually my race pace is fine, not only in Formula 2 but also in the other categories I have driven. I have some good memories of the Red Bull Ring, especially in F4. I know the track pretty well so I think we will do a good job not only on Sunday but also on Saturday

FIA Formula 2: How much work has gone into the last few weeks? We saw really good pace from you and the team in Imola but is seemed to fall away a bit in Spain.

Duerksen: I think this is the essence of Formula 2. One weekend you can be on top and then the next one it may not work. Sadly, Barcelona was a bit of a tough one. We had the pace anyway because in the Feature Race, I had the pace to finish top 5 at least, but after the issue I could not finish. I think it’s like this in Formula 2. One weekend you can be on top, the next one can be more difficult. Which makes it interesting and exciting for the fans because you never know who will be on top. I am just looking forward to the races.

FIA Formula 2: Thank you, Gabriel third on the grid for you on Sunday, do you feel like you maximised your qualifying today?

Gabriel Bortoleto: In terms of the position, yes. If I could have done a better job it would have been to make a bigger gap to the car ahead. I think it was Victor Martins. I was a little too close to him starting my lap, so I got some dirty air for Sector 2 and Sector 3. I think on that side, no I didn’t maximise. That was something my team told me to do for the second one but unfortunately, I couldn't. I think Victor hit the brakes before starting the lap and all of the gap I had made got shortened. I was too close, and I caught him during the lap as well. Fair play to us both, I was a tenth off, so it was not like I was super, super close to them. I think with the car I had, I have done a decent job. I am looking forward to the races.

FIA Formula 2: You have only failed to qualify once in the top 10 this season, do you feel like Qualifying is a real strength for you at the moment?

Bortoleto: For me this trend is more meaningful if it is for the top five. Obviously the top 10 is good because you can get the reverse grid. My season this year has been a little crazy, very different to my season last year in Formula 3. We have had some problems and couldn’t score points at times. I just hope that things go better from now on, finishing the races and getting points in the bag. That’s what we need at the moment, and we are very close from the top three to the top seven which is where I am. I am trying to recover the point we lost. Yes, Qualifying has been decent for me after some mistakes I made in Melbourne and Jeddah.

FIA Formula 2: With the reverse grid race, the fact that there is a lot of overtaking potential here, do you feel like you can be more aggressive, that there might be more chances in the sprint race too.

Bortoleto: Absolutely, I think we can go for it. Try to be aggressive, try to get the points, try to have some fun and let’s see how it goes. In Formula 3 I remember it was a crazy race here last year, so much tyre degradation and many lead changes. It was absolutely crazy, and I am not expecting anything less in F2 this year. I am looking forward to seeing what we can do in the races on Saturday and Sunday,

FIA Formula 2: Great stuff, thanks very much all three.