Round 10 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 in Spa-Francorchamps. In third place we have Isack Hadjar from Campos Racing, in second, we have Gabriel Bortoleto from Invicta Racing and taking Pole Position today is Paul Aron from Hitech Pulse Eight. Paul congratulations, back-to-back pole positions for you, how important does this one feel?

Paul Aron: Like any other. It’s great to be back on Pole. Obviously, I am starting from the back tomorrow, so it was good to get these two points today because it will be difficult to get points tomorrow. Other than that, I was in this position in Hungary on Friday, very happy, and my Sunday didn’t end happy at all. Friday is just a starting point. You can’t celebrate too early. It’s clear that the car has pace, I have pace. I am just looking forward to scoring some points in the races now.

FIA Formula 2: Spa is such a special track, how good does it feel to hook up a lap around this place?

Aron: It was really nice, I really enjoyed it. The car felt really good. Already on run one I was very happy with the run I did, even though we missed a bit, I had perfect slip stream on that lap. I was a bit worried; I wasn’t sure how we were going to do it. We managed to put it all together. In the second run, I had very good track position again with a good slip stream. I was enjoying it in Sector 2. The car did basically exactly what I wanted. On a long track like this, if the car is doing what you want then there will be a big time delta because corner after corner you are winning time. It was not as easy as I would have expected because when I did start the lap I struggled a bit for grip. I feel like the first part of the lap I just pushed through the car because I was not happy with what I had underneath me. From Sector 2, everything fell into place and that’s when I started to make the difference.

FIA Formula 2: You’ve mentioned the grid penalty you’ve got for tomorrow and how tough it is going to be to score points, what is your mindset for the Sprint Race?

Aron: Well, I think it will be very entertaining for everyone behind a TV. First let’s see what the weather does because it is not looking very clear. It’s points, I just need to score points. If we have a chance to even get one, I will be happy. Then we see from there, there’s nothing else, no glory in being the hero and making cool moves. It’s just points.

FIA Formula 2: Gabriel a spot on the front row for you but we heard you on team radio saying that you really need Pole Position, what are your emotions like after that session?

Gabriel Bortoleto: On the radio it was more saying that I wanted to try a second lap for Pole but P2 is still a very good position to start. I am happy with P2. There’s a long straight after the start so a lot of things can happen, we have seen that in the past in F1, F2, and F3. I am looking forward to the races. Starting P9 tomorrow, we can make some moves and try to get some points. Either in the wet or dry, I think we should be in a good position.

FIA Formula 2: It’s five races in a row now that you have Qualified in the top 6, does that consistency feel like a particular strength of yours at the moment?

Bortoleto: I think that the car has been good in all these races, good enough to put the car in the top 5 and that is why I have been finishing in these positions. At the end of the day, you still need to deliver the laps in Qualifying and make it work. I think I have been able to do this quite consistently through the season. I am just happy to be able to be there every weekend and to show progress for the team, for myself to see that I am improving every round, and I am becoming a better driver overall. It’s just nice to see when every Qualifying session becomes easier and less nerve-wracking on my side. When I jump in the car now, I have been enjoying Qualifying much more than I was at the beginning of the season.

FIA Formula 2: You’ve been converting the last three of those results into top 5 finishes in the past three Feature Races. How well do you feel you are set up for the weekend, is the race pace looking strong? Bortoleto: I think so, race pace is normally always decent, we have never struggled a lot. But we are not talking about guys here on my left having bad cars either, they will both be strong. I am sure that it is not going to be easy to fight. It will be a matter of who is able to be a little bit, maybe a tenth per lap or even less, better that will make the difference at the end of the race. I am sure that it is going to be fun, and we are going to be quick.

FIA Formula 2: Isack, we saw you were frustrated at the end of Qualifying there, talk us through what happened on your final qualifying lap.

Isack Hadjar: It was a Safety Mode thing. I basically lost quite a few tenths going down to Pouhon, I hit the limiter on the bump. I had had no problems all day with that, and just lost a lot of time there and evidently the Pole. It is really frustrating, and it breaks the rhythm, because after that you are a bit screwed, and you have to make up for it. You have to keep pushing through the second part of the lap. It was tough mentally but, in the end, I have the P3, and I am satisfied. But I threw away a Pole.

FIA Formula 2: You are starting third and you were at the sharp end all through that session, you were fastest in Practice earlier today, how well set do you feel for tomorrow and Sunday?

Hadjar: It was a really good day today, except the most important lap basically. I had a really good feeling, I enjoyed today a lot. The track was in really good condition. I had a much better feeling with the car underneath me. I enjoyed it. I felt like I had a better package than last week, in the end I am in the same position, so it is a bit frustrating. We are all set, and I think we will have a strong race pace as both of these other drivers will too. We will have to make a difference somehow.

FIA Formula 2: We have the top 3 of the Championship here today, we are heading into the final third of the season, does it feel like the pressure is starting to ramp up?

Hadjar: I think it is cool to see the top 3 all the time up there. You are going for that lap in Qualifying and you know the guys you have to beat. I think it is fun.

FIA Formula 2: Thank you very much, well done today.