Round 9 Post Sprint Race Press Conference

FIA Formula 2: Hello and welcome to the top three press conference for the FIA ​​Formula 2 Championship Sprint Race in Budapest. In third place is Victor Martins of ART Grand Prix. In second place is Kush Maini of Invicta Racing and today in P1 is Richard Verschoor of Trident. Richard, congratulations on your fourth win in your F2 career, but your first of the season and it feels like you were patient not only today but also in the race for that one.

Richard Verschoor: Yeah, that’s right. Of course I’m very happy with the win, I had to be patient because of course it was a bit of a gamble – well, not really a gamble because I thought I made the right choice, but then when someone passes you on the Softs you think ‘Did I make the right choice?’, but I think I realised early on that he was going to struggle. In the end that’s what happened. I had a very good base, a very good car, so that helped my race a lot.

FIA Formula 2: It was a tough race for you after that weekend in Monaco. How special is it to have the win in your pocket now?

Verschoor: Not at all special no. Often in Formula 2 the race is taken away. In Monaco I will keep it clean, I wanted to say some words that I can’t, but somehow I feel like I can’t really be happy until it’s certain, so I’m just going to wait an hour or two to see if I really won and then I’ll celebrate.

FIA Formula 2: I refer to tomorrow, starting from tenth place. Do you think, given everything you have seen today and what everyone has experienced in terms of tyres, there is a possibility to make a step forward?

Verschoor: In F2 there are always chances. Every team will now analyse what happened, how they can improve tomorrow and so will we, so let’s see tomorrow. I think we have a good package, we are more or less there, so let’s try to choose the right strategy and then push from there.

FIA Formula 2: Well done today Kush, a fifth podium of the season for you, how was the race from your perspective?

Kush Head: Yes, fifth podium of the year. I think it’s been a year with a lot of ups and downs, I’m happy with the number of podiums, but that doesn’t always say something about the season. I think we missed a lot of opportunities, a few laps that were out of the team’s and my control. I’m just happy to be fighting again. The team never gave up on me and they kept pushing. I have great people around me and I’m happy that we’re fighting again at the front. I think Richard did a great job today, it was really difficult to follow closely, so I had to keep the gap around two seconds and keep it the whole race. He did a good job, I think the maximum today was second.

FIA Formula 2: Richard was talking about Kimi going forward and then coming back. Were you hoping he would defend and that would give you some chances?

Head: Yeah, you always hope but in the end Kimi really struggled. I think Richard and I saw it coming so we weren’t in a hurry. I don’t think Richard would take a risk, he played it smart and it paid off.

FIA Formula 2: You mentioned how happy you were with the tyre choice before the race had even started. Were you surprised that the Option tyre sank so quickly and so far in the race?

Head: Yeah, I thought they would be quicker, but Victor and others clearly did a good job at the beginning and they managed to keep it going. I thought halfway through the race, when we had a huge breakaway, that we really had to wrap up the options, but Victor clearly managed to keep it going until the end, so it depends on how you manage them. So tomorrow’s race is going to be very exciting.

FIA Formula 2: Congratulations. Victor, I have to ask, how did you manage to finish on the podium today on the set of Options?

Victor Martins: I think the key in the beginning was to accept that I wasn’t going to use this advantage on the Softs over the Hards. I just tried to maintain my position, which was P4. Of course, when I saw Kimi pull away in front of me I thought: ‘Can I push more?’ But then I knew that if you push for one or two laps, then you fall back a lot with one or the other axle of the car. I think I just kept calm with the team. I had good communication with the guys on the Softs. When I started to feel that I could push, I did it and I think we got to the end quite easily. I still had a bit more, so that was good.

FIA Formula 2: How does it feel to be behind the wheel and to be able to control yourself like that, because a number of drivers had to pit today because their tyres were too loose?

Martin: I think it’s just about keeping the focus on yourself for what you feel with the car. What are the problems, how to adapt to the balance of the car and good communication with your engineer and with the team about what you need to do and what the target is for the next five laps or at the end. They told me how the others were on the Soft and I think I have a good one. I think it feels good and it’s a good confidence boost for tomorrow and the rest of the season.

FIA Formula 2: You just said that you think maybe you have a bit more in it today. Do you think that from fifth place tomorrow you have a car and the speed to take the win?

Martin: Yeah, definitely. I think in two rounds we’ll definitely be back where we belong. I think it’s a lot healthier in terms of pace, in terms of feeling in the car. It just feels connected and I think that’s what we need from now until the end of the season. Just good consistency in the balance of the car, in the feedback that I give to the team to improve the next session. I think we’re definitely in that window now and I’m super happy that we never gave up, we’ve worked so hard and we’re starting to see it pay off.

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