Round 10 Post Feature Race Press Conference

__FIA Formula 2: Welcome, everyone, to today's FIA Formula 2 press conference following a thrilling Feature Race here at Monza. Joining us in P3, from Campos Racing, is Noel León. In second place, from Invicta Racing, is Rafael Câmara. Also from Invicta Racing, he won the Sprint Race on Saturday and captured the Feature Race win today. It is his fourth win of the season: Joshua Duerksen. Now, Joshua, congratulations. You are the fifth driver in the modern era of Formula 2 to do the double. How does that one feel?

Joshua Duerksen: Really surreal. Just incredible. I feel like I am living a dream right now. Monza has always been very special to me. I have always felt very good here and, to be honest, this was a perfect weekend for me. I almost had pole position, missing out by just five hundredths, so for sure the pace was good. Then the Sprint Race victory and now the Feature Race victory have just been incredible. I am super happy with how the whole weekend went.

FIA Formula 2: It was very close between you and Rafa at the end there. How were you able to keep him behind you?

Duerksen: I was just doing qualifying laps every single lap. I know that Rafa is super quick as well, so I knew I had no margin for error. I was just pushing as hard as I could. The tyres were screaming; they were asking me to stop, but I just kept pushing. I think what helped me a lot was that, after the pit stop, I had a gap of more than one second. If Rafa had been within DRS, I think we would have been battling for the whole race: him overtaking me, me overtaking him, and so on until the last lap. So, yes, I think the initial pace on the Supersoft helped me a lot and allowed me to make it happen and get the victory today.

FIA Formula 2: Invicta Racing gave you both great cars this weekend. Can you talk about the job they have done?

Dürksen: Yes, Invicta Racing has done a very good job. They have given me a superb car all weekend long. We were quick in Free Practice, we were quick in qualifying and in the races. The car was just perfect. Having such a good car helps us a lot and allows us to extract the maximum from the tyres on every single lap.

FIA Formula 2: Rafa, coming to you next, congratulations. Take me through your race.

Rafael Câmara: Obviously, the start was not ideal, but it was okay. I got into P2 and, from there, I was just trying to hold the position. Obviously, I was hoping there would not be a Safety Car at the beginning because, for Joshua and me, after the Safety Car window it would have been a problem for one of us. But until then, it was quite okay. We were able to have a clean race. Then, with the pit stop, I think we lost a bit of time getting stuck with all the cars. But overall, I think it was a very good, very solid race after being a bit unlucky yesterday. It was good to score some strong points today. Obviously, I am very happy for Joshua and the team that we were able to finish P1 and P2 today.

FIA Formula 2: I saw you start to bridge that gap towards the end. Was it possible to try to make a move on Joshua at any point in the last few laps?

Câmara: Yes, I was really trying to get closer and at least attempt a move. Obviously, I wanted to win as well, but I think Joshua did a very good job today. He had very good pace and it was very close. So, huge congratulations to him. We will keep pushing. I think we have been making good progress. With every race, the whole team is getting stronger, and it is good to carry this momentum into Madrid.

FIA Formula 2: You picked up some really good points today. Just 11 points separate you from Nikola. What is it going to take for you to win this Drivers' Championship?

Câmara: I think, on that side, like I said before, I am just really focused on myself, trying to maximise what I can do and take the points. I think we did that very well today. Like I said, yesterday we were a bit unlucky, but we just need to keep this momentum. I think that, in the last five rounds, we have always been there and have always been consistent. We just need to keep doing our job. For sure, the fight is still open and we will keep pushing until the end. We never give up.

FIA Formula 2: Congratulations on P2, Rafa. Noel, coming to you, congratulations on P3. That is your fifth podium of the season. Can you take me through your race?

Noel León: Yes, it was quite a good race, to be honest. We managed to do everything well and recovered some positions. It was unfortunate to receive that penalty from qualifying, which dropped us to P7, so finishing on the podium was the best possible outcome. These guys were just a bit too quick for me today. I tried to stay with them until the end, but they were quite fast over the final laps. I am very happy with the team, with the work it has been doing and, in general, with the whole weekend.

FIA Formula 2: Was it hard to manage the tyre in that final stint while trying to close the gap to Joshua and Rafa?

León: Yes, I think so. At the end, the degradation was not too high, so we were doing qualifying laps. I could not match them over the final three laps, so they started to create a gap. If they had been battling, I think I would have had a chance, but they never did. I am just happy with our result and with the weekend.

FIA Formula 2: Congratulations on P3.