Collet eyes ‘consistent’ run after Imola decisions backfire

Caio Collet says he needs to “build up something to start again” after leaving Formula 3’s Imola round empty-handed after a spate of setbacks.

MP Motorsport driver Collet led the bulk of Saturday’s Sprint Race and was still poised for second place until a last-lap clash with Isack Hadjar left him on the sidelines. Collet opted for wet tyres on a damp surface for Sunday’s Feature Race and sliced his way through from ninth to lead the opening lap by nearly four seconds.

However, with the track drying it proved to be the incorrect call and he was forced to pit for slicks, dropping down the order, before eventually recovering to 13th position.

“We took a gamble with the tyres, me and the team, and in the end it was not the best decision we could have done, but we made a mistake together and we will learn from it,” he said.

“The first two rounds of the championship didn’t go as planned, it’s far from what we expected. Yesterday (Saturday) was frustrating, now we need to regroup and come back in Barcelona. We had a bit of everything the first two rounds, so I just want a normal and consistent round to at least score a few points and build up something to start again, this is what I aim to do.”

Collet’s non-score leaves him 16th in the Drivers’ Championship, 30 points behind title leader Victor Martins, and says he needs to address his decision-making in critical moments.

“Even though I led most of the race yesterday I threw away at least a podium for nothing, so this is one thing I need to learn if I want to fight for the championship, as I threw away a lot with a stupid decision I took,” he rued.

“Today (Sunday), the gamble, going against 95 per cent of the grid, was not the best decision we could have done. These small decisions we take, and mistakes, cost us a lot of points so this is what we need to redress and do it right in Barcelona.”