Maximilian Günther: “I have to push myself to the limit”

There’s been no shortage of successful racers from Germany. Formula 1 World Champions Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg claimed 12 titles between them, with many more gracing the record books with wins and podiums. Hailing from Bavaria to lead the next wave, Maximilian Günther has made the leap from Formula 3 to the FIA Formula 2 Championship, hoping to be the next name among them.

With a more powerful car, a different specification of tyres and a new weekend format to get used to, Günther’s had to settle in quickly, and promising pace in the pre-season tests at Bahrain underlined the German’s credentials as a force to be reckoned with. He’s certainly enjoying life in Formula 2 so far, batting off the early questions about his season so far with a smile.

“I would say that the start of the season was good,” says Günther, matter-of-factly. “Two points finishes in Bahrain and a podium is very positive and a good start to the year. Many things for me are new: the team is new, the car is new, the whole championship is new for me, but so far I’m enjoying it a lot. For me, there’s many new things to learn and to optimise for the year, but Bahrain was good so I’m hoping to pick up from there and do even better than that.”

Just how has Günther been able to adapt to the demands of F2? Although having almost 400 extra horsepower behind him compared to his F3 days is a large step in itself, the BWT Arden driver cites tyre management as the biggest thing he’s had to get his head around.

“First of all, it’s been about adapting to the Pirelli tyres, because they’re specific to F1 and F2. The key is to manage them well and get them into the right window – not just in qualifying, but in the races too to get them to last the whole distance. Coming from F3, there have been many things that I’ve had to do different and had to adapt my driving style for.

“Carbon brakes as well are quite new, but it’s not changing your whole world as a driver and I’d done a bit of testing with them in DTM. So that was a new item in terms of learning the car I had to adapt to. The biggest difference is that the car has more horsepower, but those are all things that you’re getting used to. “But really, on the other hand, you’re going into the race weekend and it’s not much different, because it’s about driving as quick as you can around the circuit and the person who’s doing the best job is the one on top of the podium.

Having signed with the experienced Arden team for 2018, Günther has formed an all-rookie lineup with Honda development driver Nirei Fukuzumi, who stepped up from GP3. With two drivers new to the series, the British outfit has had to get both up to speed quickly, and Günther credits an open-book policy as a key factor of getting used to the team’s methods of working and in possible future success. “I think in Formula 2 that it’s quite important to have the drivers interacting with each other and that you compare with each other when you’re doing the setup work, if you want to maximise the whole package. For sure you’re always pushing each other and learning from each other, but on the other hand everyone is trying to do the best job for themselves but in the team, everything is transparent. We’re working together well, which is very important.

“In motorsport, it’s always about improving, and you always as a driver want to get better and push yourself. At the moment I feel very happy inside the team, it’s already very familiar and it’s a good group of people. I always enjoy working with them, but it’s like this; you are never perfect and you always have to try and improve.”

Since arriving in F2, Günther was able to get his stay in the Championship off to a flying start, securing a reverse-grid pole and a podium finish in the opening round at Bahrain. Although the following rounds have certainly been more inauspicious, he seems to be aware of the importance of managing any expectations. He’s just taking things as they come.

“On my expectations, I didn’t think so much about them; I just wanted to do the best possible job from weekend to weekend and extract the maximum from the package. So like that, we’re concentrating on getting all those details together and that’s something very important in this category.

“That was my main focus, and it was very nice to get a good result in the first race weekend, because everyone is motivated and in a good mood. There wasn’t a result where I said “I have to do this in my first weekend”, but it was more about extracting everything we have. The key for me is focusing on myself, and not concentrating on beating others. At the end of the day, I have to push myself to the limit, and do the best possible.”

As a new driver to the category, another challenge is having a new set of circuits to learn. With just 45 minutes of free practice before the drivers go out for qualifying, Günther is one of many who is grateful for the benefit of having a ready-accessible simulator to hone his craft around the less familiar venues.

“We always need to use the free practice as much as possible to get lots of laps in and learn the circuit, and that way you prepare yourself as good as possible. For sure, you come to the track and learn many new things, because they’re all new, but it doesn’t take us away from the plan we always have.

“Sure, the simulator is something very common and every driver in the field is using it. We have our own simulator at BWT Arden and it’s very helpful to get prepared for the race meetings. It’s just something that’s helping you get quick and in the rhythm, because you don’t have a lot of laps in free practice and you need to learn as much as possible. The simulator’s good to get your level up.” Having put in the hard yards to prepare himself for the F2 season, how will Günther embark upon his dream of being Germany’s next racing star? Again, he’s taking his racing career step by step, and believes that a prudent approach of working hard on each individual race will eventually yield results in the bigger picture.

“For sure, Formula 1 is a big goal of mine and I want to arrive there. It’s a nice circus going around the world, and as a young boy I was always dreaming of driving an F1 car. That’s still my goal today, and the earlier I achieve it the better it is, but what’s coming up next is something I’ll see about at the end of the year. I think that, overall, the best way to achieve it is to deliver the best possible results, and I can influence that. Everything apart from that, you just need to fit around that.

“There are many factors that decide where you go in the future, and I’m just very happy and appreciate that I’m in Formula 2 a lot. It’s nice to race here, and I just want to do the best possible job that I can do, hopefully with the good results. Of course, it’s always brilliant if you win the races! laughs As a racing driver, I always want to win or be on the podium, but it’s such a high level on the grid so you always have to do your homework first before you earn results.

“I’m just more or less taking it as it comes. All I can do is influence the results on track and everything else comes as it is.