Round 6 Post-Sprint Race Press Conference

FIA Formula 2: Hello and welcome to Barcelona where it’s time for our Press Conference with our top three finishers from the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race. In third position, we have Rafael Villagómez for Van Amersfoort Racing, in second, Alexander Dunne of Rodin Motorsport, and today’s winner Richard Verschoor of MP Motorsport. Richard, congratulations, what a drive and what a call at the end to pit. Talk us through that crazy race, was it your craziest race in F2?

Richard Verschoor: I think so. I’ve been in F2 for a while, but this one was definitely crazy. Beginning of the race, I was hanging on. Of course I stalled at the start, so that was a bit of a shame, and then once the Safety Car came out, the team did the right call. They told me very confidently to box. I followed what they told me and, in the end, we had a great race. Was still a bit tricky at the end, Alex was really quick. But really happy to be first.

FIA Formula 2: When you came out of the pit lane and the racing got back underway. Did you think you would be standing on the top step?

Verschoor: To be honest, no. We didn’t know the difference between the Soft and Hard. I knew it was going to be big for two or three laps, but I didn’t know it was going to be big for all the laps we did, six, I think. The grip difference was just insane, was a lot more than what people expected, that’s why I think the top seven didn’t box, but I am happy that I did as the first guy.

FIA Formula 2: How were the tyres at the end of the race when you had Alex just behind you?

Verschoor: To be fair, I was trying to hang on. I wasn’t trying to get away, I was just trying to manage the gap that I had because I knew he was in DRS range. I definitely could have done a few more laps, but let’s see tomorrow how many we can do.

FIA Formula 2: What went through your head when you crossed the line as the winner?

Verschoor: I was very happy. I had an incident a few laps before, and my car was not straight anymore, and I also had the feeling that I was slow on the straights after the incident. I don’t know what happened exactly, but mainly because of that I was even happier because we were about to box because I thought I had big damage, but then I tried to hang on and we managed to finish first.

FIA Formula 2: Another victory for you this season. Do you feel like that kind of result was needed after a bit of a gap from your last podium in Jeddah?

Verschoor: Yes. We were just really off in Imola, with me being sick, and then in Monaco, the Lap 1 incident was a bit of a shame. But still, I feel very confident. I feel like we are doing a good job at the moment, I am very consistent and I think that’s super important. Of course, to take the win now, instead of a P8, is a gift, and I will take the gift. But tomorrow we start over and we will try again.

FIA Formula 2: Congratulations on the superb win today. Alex, on to you, from P19 to P2 at the flag. What a drive today from you as well. After a difficult Friday, did you think a comeback like that was on the cards?

Alexander Dunne: No, definitely not. I definitely didn’t wake up this morning thinking I was going to be sat here. I think it’s a nice result to get, and some good points. I think after what happened in Monaco, and what happened in FP yesterday morning, I think what happened in FP is completely ridiculous, this shouldn’t happen, and I apologise to the team for that. So very, very happy. I think we’ve seen over the past couple of weekends that the pace is more than there, but sometimes you just need to accept that you are where you are, instead of trying to go for more, and that is something we need to dial in a bit more in the coming weekends.

FIA Formula 2: With that in mind, how satisfying was it to pull off those overtakes at the end of the race? You kept in touch with Richard also, maybe you could have gone for the win if there were one or two laps more in the race?

Dunne: It’s should’ve, would’ve, could’ve, right? Richard knows what he is doing, and we have seen through the year, his pace is very strong, and he understands how to race. I think if there was a couple of more laps I maybe could have had an opportunity to try and make a move, but getting past is another thing. I think I was in a position where after last weekend, I didn’t want to try anything crazy and lose out on loads of points because of that. After the Safety Car, I just tried to get to the front as quickly as possible and once I got to P2, I was pretty content with that.

FIA Formula 2: You were quite satisfied with the call to pit for the Softer tyres?

Dunne: I was right behind the crash between Gabi and Seb, and as soon as that happened, I said if there is a Safety Car I think we should box and as soon as the Safety Car came out, I pitted right away.

FIA Formula 2: Did you need a race like that after the tough moments, and is it a boost of confidence for tomorrow?

Dunne: Not necessarily. What happened today is so different to any other race. Where we finished today, we didn’t finish there because I raced super well and our pace was unbelievable. It was right place, right time, so I think the result today doesn’t reflect on what can happen tomorrow. Tomorrow is where we have a three-place grid penalty, so I will be starting P8 instead of P5, which is going to make our lives more difficult than it needs to be. But if history repeats itself, our pace in the Feature Race has always been strong, so if we can do that again, then hopefully we can pick up some good points.

FIA Formula 2: Thank you Alex, good job today. Rafael, moving on to you, thank you for waiting. Congratulations on your first F2 podium. Just how are you feeling right now?

Rafael Villagómez: Obviously pretty happy. First podium in Formula 2, after a really bad day yesterday. I think this is always nice to have. Crazy race but I will take that any day.

FIA Formula 2: Did you ever imagine that this type of result could come today?

Villagómez: Not really. You are starting last and with the qualifying we had, if you told me this morning you are going to finish on the podium, I would have said that’s really nice from you, but we didn’t have the pace.

FIA Formula 2: You are one of the drivers who pitted under the Safety Car. When did you realise you were on course for your first podium?

Villagómez: Obviously we run through different scenarios before the race and we knew that if the Safety Car was on the table towards the end of the race, we were going to pit, so that was confirmed with the team. I realised we were going to be on the podium, two laps to go, when they told me the next car was Jak and he was P3. Before that, my main focus was not to lose any time losing cars.

FIA Formula 2: It’s another great result for you after scoring points in Monte Carlo. How good are you and the team feeling after these results?

Villagómez: It’s always nice, but this is a little bit of a crazy race. We need to be realistic and we did struggle on the Hards. So, we need to go back and see what we did wrong and try and fix it for tomorrow because tomorrow’s race is the one that matters, it has the big points, and that’s where you want to do well.