Round 6 Post Sprint Race Press Conference

FIA Formula 3: Good morning form Austria and the press conference for the top three finishers from the FIA Formula 3 Sprint Race. In third place we have Ugo Ugochukwu for PREMA Racing, second is Alessandro Giusti for MP Motorsport, and your race winner is James Wharton for ART Grand Prix. James, congratulations, your first win in F3. Just how good does that feel?

James Wharton: Thank you very much. It feels incredible. It’s something I’ve been dreaming off for quite a while. I went into the season thinking this was going to happen earlier, maybe a bit too confident but I got a good couple of races, the last couple of weekends and to finally top off what I really wanted coming into this season, showing the pace I have, as well as showing the race craft I have, which I think I showed in the Sprint Race. Can’t thank the team enough for the work we have done over the last couple of months, the triple header really put us on the right foot and it’s actually good to have a break after the triple header to come back stronger. I think we are making the right steps and I am looking forward to the rest of the year now.

FIA Formula 3: You led this one from lights-to-flag but you had plenty to contend with. How much pressure did you feel during the race?

Wharton: Alessandro is very good on this track as we discovered last year in FRECA, we had a one-two last year. I have known P2 and P3 for a very long time, so it’s good to be able to race people you know and understand what their strengths are. I am super happy the car is fast and I was able to keep him behind. A couple laps there, it looked like I was going to get overtaken, but I put the car in the right position. I was saving the tyres quite well to be able to push after the last restart, so it was quite easy in the end.

FIA Formula 3: You mentioned the year you have had so far. Your first points scored in Spain, your first win here. Do you feel like you are starting to find your feet with the team now?

Wharton: For sure. I feel like the win is always a huge jumpstart as well. We’ve had a tough start to the year, but one win can change everything. Points in Barcelona was something we were really happy with, and something that gave us a kickstart for the second half of the season. But as you know, a win is something that doesn’t happen very often, and the team now have a win this season, they are super happy, get to celebrate a little bit tonight, but we have a Feature Race tomorrow. The main things is we are in the right spot now, we are making good steps and I can’t wait.

FIA Formula 3: Congratulations, well done. Alessandro, moving on to you now, congratulations on your best result in Formula 3. How tough was it chasing down James?

Alessandro Giusti: It was tough. We had a great start, I nearly stalled, so it was good to start the race, and after he was very fast in the first five, six laps after the Safety Car so I tried to stay in his DRS. Then I saw he was starting to struggle a bit more, I tried to put pressure on him, I tried in T3 and T4, but it didn’t work out. At the end, after the last Safety Car, it was a bit tough for me with the tyre but I am happy with the P2.

FIA Formula 3: It’s back-to-back podiums after the result in Spain. How well do you think you are driving? Giusti: Tough question. I am getting used to the car, getting more confidence in the car. After the triple header, we had a break, and it was good for the team and for us, we made a good step forward in quali I think, and in the race we have always been quite good, so it’s good.

FIA Formula 3: The way this race played out with Safety Cars, degradation, DRS trains, what did you learn today for tomorrow and what do you think you can achieve?

Giusti: Was a bit of a chaotic race, as we saw behind. What I learned, the deg is quite high with the Softs on this track, maybe a bit more management for tomorrow. But tomorrow we will put on new tyres so let’s see.

FIA Formula 3: Congratulations, well done today. Ugo, thank you for waiting. What a drive from you to hold on for P3 in those closing laps. Your first podium in Formula 3, how do you feel?

Ugo Ugochukwu: Really good of course. The start of the year hasn’t been the best but coming into this weekend we made a big step, already yesterday in Practice and Qualifying, I felt there was a little bit more in it in quali, but happy to have made up for it today, and get on the podium. It’s really good.

FIA Formula 3: Turn 3 was a hot spot for you today. Talk us through avoiding the incident that happened ahead of you and defending from Nikola late on.

Ugochukwu: The first few laps were quite tricky. The race pace was quite good but we were stuck in a little bit of a DRS train, so we could not make much happen. But as you said, T3 was very chaotic, I just managed to stay out of the mess, avoid the crash and the last laps I was just pushing as much as I could. I was out of the DRS, so I had to make up for it through sectors two and three, but it was good. I managed to have just a big enough of the car to defend in the first part of the lap. That shows the steps we’ve made, especially in the race pace, and it’s a big confidence boost for tomorrow, starting in P8, I think we go forward and try to get more points.

FIA Formula 3: It’s not been the smoothest season for you so far, but how pleased are you to take this opportunity to show what you can do at the front of the field?

Ugochukwu: It’s been really good. First, quali is super important, to be able to start at the front really puts you in a good position for both races, that was the main thing this weekend. From there on, we just tried to keep this positive momentum throughout the whole season, that’s the main thing, to be consistent and always at the front in quali.

FIA Formula 3: Thank you Ugo, well done to everyone here.