Round 4 Post Feature Race Press Conference

FIA Formula 2: Well, a very warm welcome to today's FIA Formula 2 press conference for today's Feature Race here in Monte Carlo. A victory for Nikola Tsolov of Campos Racing, second Alexander Dunne from Rodin Motorsport and third at the final lap for Dino Beganovic of Dams Lucas Oil. I'll start with you Nikola, what an eventful final few laps, you had to bide your time and be ready for an opportunity that eventually came.

Nikola Tsolov: Yeah, for sure, I mean, I felt the tyres dying on the soft, so I could barely get around the hairpin and I lost I think one second in sector one in that lap, suddenly out of nowhere, so then we wanted to stay out a little bit longer, but I let my engineer know that I'm going to lose a lot of time, so I boxed in that lap and yeah, the pit stop wasn't necessarily fast, if I have to be honest, and then the outlap was just really difficult. I'm glad I managed to bring the tyres in by the second push and then I caught the next cars that were coming out the pit on super soft. I think it was just really slippery, so I had the advantage in that lap and managed to get through Alex and then I arrived to Rafa and I knew he was on cold tyres, so I felt he was very vulnerable. I just kind of knew I was going to get through him at some point and then for me by the end, was just managing to cover the guys on the alternative strategy that might have been ahead with a pit stop but managed to do it in one lap and also get the fastest lap, so that's good.

FIA Formula 2: Yeah, very good points. That battle for the lead with Rafael Camara was very close, nip and tuck, but you just managed to pull it off.

Tsolov: Yeah, I knew coming on the left side on the main straight was a little bit risky, so I just kind of knew maybe he won't be able to see me. He broke a bit early and I felt he broke even earlier, so then I released the brakes to brake later, but he released them even more, so then I thought, well, he's on cold tyres, he must go off, so then it was just really tight on the entry of T1, so I just tried to survive. To be honest, it was really close. I thought I was going out as well, but I'm just glad I managed to get through and then we're just managing. I think my life was a little bit easier after that and also in clean air, I think I had a lot more pace than when I was behind Rafa.

FIA Formula 2: Your third victory of the year, but it comes at a point where you really needed it after a run of maybe not the best results, a couple of points here and there. How important is it to regain a little bit of the momentum?

Nikola Tsolov: Yeah, it's great. I felt like it was kind of a redemption for me just because I've had a few tough weekends in Miami. I felt like I was going to be strong in the wet on Sunday because it's usually my strength, but unfortunately, I couldn't even try it. Then in Canada, it was just a messy weekend. I think we had so much pace there and it was just a big missed opportunity, but I'm glad to see we're fighting for the Feature Race wins in every weekend, so for me, that's important and we can build on consistency from now on because, to be honest, that was my goal coming into this weekend. I wasn't really necessarily aiming for the win.

FIA Formula 2: Thank you, Let me take it then to Alex Dunne, your fourth podium of the year. How difficult are these tyres when they're not up to temperature?

Alex Dunne: Pretty tricky. I think, to be honest, when I came out of the pit lane, my engineer said it's going to be close with Tsolov. I thought he made a mistake or something. I was saying, there's no way I've come out in front. I didn't realise how much time you actually lost on the cold tyres. Then when I was in front of him through T2 and T3, it was like I was driving on ice. I tried my best to keep him behind, but it was nearly impossible. Yeah, it was very, very difficult. It was tricky, but in the end, I'm glad that I managed to keep the soft runners who had stayed out a long time behind me because I think if they managed to get past, my race would have been very, very difficult and I probably would have got jumped by, I think it was Kush who did the alternative strategy or went a bit longer. It was tricky, but in the end, I think to come away with P2 and keep the cars behind me, I was happy.

FIA Formula 2: Yeah, a very consistent run. Three races in a row in the points. That is going to be key for the remainder of the season, isn't it?

Dunne: Yeah, that's the goal. I think, to be honest, to just try and have... Today was a pretty boring race, but I think in the future, if we can have more boring races, that would be a good thing. Just to stay out of trouble. I think just keep our nose clean and just pick up the points is all I'm trying to do. I think there's no point going into every weekend trying really hard to put it on pole and win the race. If we can just be in the top five all the time, all the way until the end of the year, then that should score pretty good points.

FIA Formula 2: Now, you were really in amongst it in the opening phase. There isn't just a place where you can actually try it in the opening lap?

Dunne: No, not really. I think here it's very, very difficult to get, even if you're... To be honest, I think if you look at yesterday, for example, in the Sprint Race, some of us were driving like 10 seconds a lap slower than a push lap at some points, and even then, the cars behind still couldn't get past. I think it shows how difficult it really is to overtake here. No matter what you do, it's nearly impossible, to be honest. I think if you go for a move, you have to be super committed, and either it's going to pay off or you're going to end up in a crash. To be honest, I think what you gain from a move here is not really worth it.

FIA Formula 2: Thanks Alex, Well, it was worth it today for Dino, third today, you had to fight for it to get yourself back onto the podium. A couple of hairy moments. Talk us through your race until the last lap?

Dino Beganovic: Yeah, I think it was a good race. We focused on bringing the temperature on the soft tyre, trying to get a good start, and it paid off. Going off in P4 and then just managing and staying with the group ahead, I think we did a good job. When it was time to push, we were able to do that. I think we did a good job in that sense, but we got a bit caught off guard with the slower cars coming out of the pit. Then I had to defend quite a lot with the cold tyres. Obviously, the last lap was on the limit, but I'm very happy to be here in P3 because I really think we deserve it.

FIA Formula 2: Yeah, take us to that last lap. You're fighting with Kush Maini, he's on colder tyres. There is no room and you both basically have to go off. What's your view of that incident?

Beganovic: For me, it's very clear. I was going for the move on the outside and I obviously had the tyres in comparison to him. I was clearly in front at the braking and at the apex. Obviously, he can't make the corner with the colder tyres. We both went off. I'm very sure I could have made the corner because I had the tyres in. Just in case, I tried to let him pass in the exit, but he wasn't really willing to do that. I kept my place and pushed to the line, but I'm very confident I did the right thing there.

FIA Formula 2: Now you head into Barcelona with a little bit more momentum as well. You're right in the fight, around fifth or sixth in the championship. What's your expectation then for next weekend?

Beganovic: I think, like you say, we have the momentum. We have had the momentum basically since Australia. Without the DNFs from technical issues, it would have been a different story by now. Fighting at the front in the future is always a good sign, but I always feel like we have had the momentum. We're just going to keep going at it.

FIA Formula 2: Thanks Dino Very good.