In profile: Roman Stanek

18 August 2022

Roman Stanek has been a bright spark for Trident this season, with the Czech driver currently P7 in the Formula 3 Drivers’ Championship ahead of the final three rounds.

We caught up with the Trident man to get to know him a little bit better, including what he does to relax and what he thinks is the best part of being an F3 driver.

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?

"So I grew up in the Czech Republic, a beautiful country. I was born and grew up in a village with around 2500 people, so I know everyone and everyone knows me since I was very young. I'm still living there, but I'm really enjoying it. I have a lot of friends there, which are supporting me so it's always nice to come back."

EARLIEST RACING MEMORY?

"When I started karting I was 10, I started early, winning my first National race. It was my first year in karting in that sport and I won in Slovakia."

DRIVING STYLE

"I would say quite aggressive and really trying to push in Qualifying, trying to extract the best out of the car. So really, really fighting with the car on the edge in high speed and slow speed corners. Getting on power as early as possible to get the best traction and then in race defending, I don't want to do nothing for free. If I don't have the pace like the guy behind me, I will not let him by."

BIGGEST RACING INFLUENCE

"Max Verstappen. He was 17 and was making a lot of mistakes when he started, but you could really see the progress he made and he's now one of the fastest. Max has been making it interesting in the last few years. I hope I’ll have the chance to race him."

BIGGEST RACING ACHIEVEMENT

"Winning was my first year in F3, that was quite good. Of course I want more. I want the Championship. I want to really be at the top."

BEST PART OF BEING A RACING DRIVER

"You get a lot of adrenaline especially during the Qualifying laps because when the grip is insane. You really have to push to the maximum. So that is what I enjoyed the most."

FAVOURITE TRACK ON THE F3 CALENDAR?

"I think it’s between Bahrain and Imola. Bahrain I’ve always liked and I would like to have more of the races outside of Europe. It's a different culture and you enjoy it more. Also, there is no rain. Imola is just incredible to drive. The walls are close so you feel the speed much more."

WHAT DO YOU DO AWAY FROM RACING TO RELAX?

"I love cycling, it makes me prepared for racing. If I do too much, I start to lose muscle and it's not good that I feel sore after cycling. I enjoy going as a group. We went off to Barcelona and then I went to Italy to watch the Giro D’Italia, and we did a couple of rides there and we were watching the race. It's incredible how fast they are going up the hills."

Chasing The Dream Season 4 is out now! Watch Episode 1 over on F1TV and Youtube.