Sami Meguetounif aiming for TRIDENT rebound at favoured Imola track

15 May 2025

Sami Meguetounif is very happy to be returning to the venue he secured his maiden Formula 3 victory around 12 months ago with TRIDENT, as he and the team aim to rebound after a tough opening few rounds.

The Frenchman admitted on Thursday that the opening to 2025 hadn’t gone according to plan, but Imola was the perfect place to rebound at after his success there last season.

“Imola is a special place for me after I won here last year. It’s good to be back. I’m stood about 10 metres away from where I was last year in the paddock, so it feels the same. I hope it will end up the same this weekend too.

“It’s a moment in the season where, after the first part went quite badly for us, we’ve had time to digest everything after Jeddah and analyse everything on the team side.

“We could get to work in order to be as ready as possible for the triple header. It’s good that we come back to a place like this, one that I like and know I’m good around, but now I need the car to deliver.”

Delving deeper into the work TRIDENT have been doing back at the workshop and why things hadn’t gone smoothly in the first three rounds, Meguetounif says that it is down to putting every element together.

While the team has been able to deliver in some aspects, executing a clean weekend with everything where it needs to be is the area of focus for the Italian squad and driver moving forward, as they aim for stronger results across the triple-header.

Meguetounif is aiming for another positive weekend around Imola after his breakthrough F3 weekend last year

“It’s the kind of reset we need. What we did is learn and try to take stuff from the first races, both the positives and the negatives. I think we had some positive moments but couldn’t really put everything together to deliver in the races.

“It’s good that we’ve now had that bit of time away and now we’re back and ready to fight for more.”

Analysing his own season, the TRIDENT driver says that he has been satisfied with the work he’s done so far, though admits he isn’t where he wants to be in the Championship.

Currently P19 in the Standings, Meguetounif says that things need to improve over the coming races but believes there is a chance to turn things around sooner rather than later.

“It’s hard for people to see from the outside, but I know that inside I’m quite satisfied with the job I’m doing so far. I think the adaptation has been quite good and anytime I could deliver something, I’ve been there.

“Then the rest is simply down to a lack of performance in that we haven’t put everything together. In F2 compared to F3, there are many more parameters you have to consider and put together in order to be in the top 10.

“It’s super tight between the drivers, and the team knows they can trust me, I know they are working super hard to give me what I deserve.

“There’s some frustration on my side because if I compare myself with guys I was fighting with last year, I’m not where I should be, and the team know it as well, so that’s good.

The Frenchman says the team has worked hard in the break to find performance for the triple-header

“That shows that they believe in me and know I can be further towards the front than where we are now. That’s why we’re working super hard and pushing. There will be a moment where it all pays off, I cannot say it will start this weekend, but it will happen at some point.”

Returning his focus onto the race weekend at hand, Meguetounif added that he was looking forward to getting to drive the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari once again after his success in 2024.

“Imola is like a street circuit for me. You cannot make a mistake, and the precision has to be there in every corner. There’s gravel and grass around every corner, and if you are off line or out of sequence, it can end up in a mistake as bad as hitting the wall in Monaco.

“It’s an old-style track, quite bumpy in some places, and for me the key is to be able to be as calm and as precise as possible to make the corner right. I enjoy the track a lot and can’t wait to get out there tomorrow.”

Highlighting the key factor, the French driver says that Qualifying will be crucial, with the tight layout of the Imola track making overtaking hugely difficult.

“It will be important to start from the front, so the target is a top 10 in Qualifying. From there, you can build up a good weekend or win the Sprint or win the Feature. That’s the goal.

“Overtaking is quite hard. It’s a super narrow track. Starting in a good position is a big advantage. I think we had some good battles in F3 last year, but in F2 the car is bigger, and we travel for a shorter time along the main straight because we’re going faster.”