Vidales’ trackside lessons from F2’s Monte Carlo weekend

6 June 2022

There might be a few more weeks until Formula 3 takes to the track for Round 4 at Silverstone, but David Vidales has been keeping busy by getting hands-on experience right on his doorstep. The Campos Racing driver shadowed the Spanish team for its Formula 2 weekend in Monte Carlo.

Off the back of his maiden F3 victory in Barcelona, Vidales was keen to soak up as much knowledge and experience as he could with his racing ‘family’.

“I thought it was a great opportunity to be there and learn as much as possible being with the team, learning from the F2 drivers and the engineers,” he said. “They were happy for me to be there because I’m in F3 (with them) and they want me to become a better driver.

“So, I did everything with them as if I was one of their drivers – following the track walk, all the team meetings and what they were saying on the radio and the feedback they gave. You can learn the way these drivers with more experience give feedback and how they speak with the engineers. I did everything I could to be involved with the team and had four amazing days together.”

Making the step-up to F2 is something all 30 drivers will be dreaming of, but it doesn’t come without plenty of challenges. Vidales noted how having a familiarity and understanding of the car can be crucial considering the development drivers go through.

“Technically the brakes are very different to F3, which was a new thing for me, the way they use the brakes and all the things they can do with them. Also, the tyres – having different compounds on the same weekend. There were a lot of things to learn from (such as) the pit stops and race management.

“It’s always four wheels and one steering wheel but many things are different and you need to learn a lot. That’s why experienced drivers can make a difference because they know how to manage all these things at once.”

This opportunity has left its mark on Vidales. Amongst all the lessons he’s learnt, the Spanish driver recognised that it’s the small things he needs to work on going forward. Inspired by the Campos team’s dedication, their determination is going to be his new driving force throughout the rest of the season.

“Personally, I'm not a driver that speaks a lot on the radio. I try to focus on what I can do. The engineers are very helpful and they can follow the sector data from the pit wall, but in the end, you’re the one driving so they can’t do anything about what’s happening in the car. Seeing how the drivers give the feedback after the sessions and all the experience I had over the weekend is making me a better driver, which is what I want to do every day to improve.

“All the team is working so hard in F3 since the beginning of the year. For me, it’s like a family. Campos is a bit different from other teams. My first step from karting to single-seaters was with them, so that’s why I know most of the people here. I think it’s very similar (between F3 and F2), they’re all ambitious and they all want to win.

“Just the fact of being in Monaco - it’s amazing and an incredible experience to be with the team in the pit lane. As a driver, you’re always on track with your helmet on and you don’t really see all the work that is going on behind, all the passion that the team is putting in. So, when you see that passion at the start, when there’s overtakes and how they follow the race – when I’m driving, I’ll think about it and this will help me push more. It’s everything for them!”