Fittipaldi ready to fight for F2 title but wary of 'overconfidence’ in Melbourne

Enzo Fittipaldi enjoyed a stellar second round of the season in Jeddah, scoring two podium finishes over the weekend including a first ever Formula 2 Feature Race victory.

The Van Amersfoort Racing driver produced a dominant performance in the 28-lap affair in Saudi Arabia, coming through from fifth on the grid before winning by nearly eight seconds.

This victory came of the back of a first round in Sakhir where he and the team went point-less. But despite that, Fittipaldi’s confidence never wavered. He insisted their performance in Jeddah was a confirmation of what they knew in pre-season testing, which is that they have a strong package.

“I feel very good,” said Fittipaldi. “That was a very good moment for us to win this early on in the season. It gives a big boost of confidence to the whole team, and I think that we are very well prepared now for Melbourne.

“Obviously, we have to reset, the victory is behind us now and now we have other focuses which is this race weekend here in Melbourne and doing a good job.”

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Fittipaldi added: “I think we've always known we've had the pace, since testing. It's just nice to confirm that in Jeddah and just know that ‘Yes, we really do have the pace’ and we were able to show that, so I'm happy about that. I'm confident that we will have the pace to fight for wins for the rest of the year.”

While he knew they had the pace, Fittipaldi insisted it was important for VAR to know exactly what made them quick. He revealed that they spent plenty of time before heading to Melbourne analysing what they did well in Jeddah.

With that knowledge, he is hoping to carry over the same pace to the Albert Park Street circuit, where he believes another Feature Race victory is a possibility.

“You have a good Qualifying and just fight to have a good race weekend,” said Fittipaldi. “The chance to win an F2 Feature Race is always on the table considering how chaotic the races are. Strategy sometimes it falls into your hands the victory, even if you are all the way in the back.”

“I feel confident for Melbourne but in this Championship it’s never good to be overconfident, you have to be ready for everything,” he continued. “Confidence is important but also so is just being there and being ready for anything.

“I remember well last year in Melbourne, there was no rain expected for Qualifying and the rain showed up last minute and you just have to adapt and be on it.

“It's the same for every race weekend, you get very little laps, and you just have to be right up there ready in Free Practice, hitting your targets, and feeling comfortable with the setup of your car is going to very important for this weekend.”

Following his Jeddah performance, the Brazilian vaulted himself to second in the Drivers’ Standings with 32 points, trailing leader Zane Maloney by 15.

While still early on in the year and with still plenty more to play for this season, Fittipaldi insists he is ready to fight for the Championship.

“I think it’s going to be a good fight all year,” said Fittipaldi. “I think we are in the fight; we are in the mix. It’s still very early in the Championship, and there is still a lot of rounds to go. It’s just important that the whole team is confident and ready to bring it on.”