Round 5 Post Sprint Race Press Conference

FIA Formula 3: Hello and welcome back to Barcelona where it’s time for the Press Conference following the FIA Formula 3 Sprint Race. In third place we have Nikola Tsolov for Campos Racing, in second for Van Amersfoort Racing, we have Santiago Ramos and taking his first win in FIA Formula 3 is Ivan Domingues, also for Van Amersfoort Racing. Ivan, congratulations, what a result for you and the team. Just sum up how you’re feeling at the moment.

Ivan Domingues: Of course I am feeling very happy. First win this year, first win in F3. The year started, not as we wished, so to get this result now this weekend before the first summer break, it is really good to keep up the momentum and the work. I’m really happy.

FIA Formula 3: What was going through your head when you saw the cars ahead hit trouble on the opening lap? Could you believe it?

Domingues: It felt a bit like playing iRacing. When they had the contact and I was in the lead I just tried to keep the focus and have a good Safety Car restart. I started from there and then just tried to manage the DRS behind, the gap and my tyres. In the end it came out pretty good.

FIA Formula 3: You had to manage the gap to Stromsted and then make sure the tyres to got to the end, while trying to keep him out of DRS range. How difficult was that race for you?

Domingues: I mean until a certain moment it was under control but there was a moment where I started to struggle a bit and Stomstead started to catch me. But he had an issue, I don’t know. After that I had a massive gap to Santi. I was just trying to bring it home and secure the P1.

FIA Formula 3: How proud are you to be the first winner in F3 from Portugal?

Domingues: It’s a joy. It’s a very good thing for me and for my country, for my team, for the people who have been helping me in the last few years. I am really really happy.

FIA Formula 3: Well done Ivan. Santiago, coming to you now. Another podium for you this season and a great result for yourself and the team. How satisfying is this result for you?

Santiago Ramos: I think it’s a quite a good thing. We were not expecting to score a podium in the Sprint Race considering we were starting P8. Happy with it obviously. We always try to go for the win, and at a stage it was just too far away so we just tried to manage the race to finish. I know Nikola was also quite fast behind, so I had to manage my tyres. I am quite happy, I was only considering fighting for the podium tomorrow, not today so this is already an advantage, and some good points in the Championship, so quite happy with it.

FIA Formula 3: You’ve seem to be growing into this season across the triple header. Do you feel the same, and how happy are you with these performances lately?

Ramos: Yeah I think apart from Monaco that didn’t go as planned in Qualifying, we had a problem with traffic. Imola was a solid weekend, here it is a solid weekend, and I hope I can carry this momentum forward for the next races. I am happy with it. We knew we had the pace since Bahrain, since Melbourne, so quite happy to finally score some points in the Sprint Race which I lacked in Monaco and Imola, so happy with it.

FIA Formula 3: You’re up to sixth in the Championship now and only a couple of points from the top five. A new target to aim for tomorrow and the season?

Ramos: Yeah, obviously I would like to say that I want to win the race, but it’s tough there are really tough competitors in front. They are really fast as well, and it is going to be a long race so I will just try to play a smart race, to make realistic moves and score the maximum points that I can.

FIA Formula 3: Well done today Santiago. Nikola, thanks for waiting. A strong drive into the podium places for yourself. A satisfying race for you considering you started from P11?

Tsolov: Yeah, it was quite satisfying and a bit weird at the same time. I didn’t expect to be on the podium either. There was a lot of chaos at the start, although I made up two of three positions already on the actual start. Then I saw two cars going wide in T2, then another two cars going wide in T3 which I was like, ‘Wow’, I didn’t know what was going on. Then I saw I was quite far up. I knew that it was going to be a Safety Car, so I tried to push to make up as many places as possible before that came. Unfortunately, I couldn't hold on to Santi and he managed to stay in front. Still with all the problems, a podium is very good and really good for the Championship.

FIA Formula 3: When did it click that a podium was within the realm of reality for you today?

Tsolov: I think right after the first lap. I thought that was what we were fighting for but in the end, I just want to finish in the top 5 in general. I think I expected it to be a bit easier with following and overtaking. I struggled quite a bit, I had the bad set of tyres for today that we picked. Hopefully tomorrow I will have better grip and move on forward and attack in T1.

FIA Formula 3: You looked to have measured out the performance in that race, keeping the tyres in good shape, despite you saying they were the bad set. How important was your experience in Formula 3 to manage them from where you were on the grid to the podium?

Tsolov: I have to say it was quite difficult, we had a lot of oversteer following. It was a bit about surviving at some point in the end. I was quite close to spinning off in a few corners which is unusual, but I just tried to keep it clean. Staying in P3 I knew was pretty much enough because just getting one more point for one more place, risking a lot wasn’t worth it. Unfortunately, I got told what the fastest lap was a bit too late, so I think I could have gone for that, but still happy with it.

FIA Formula 3: You’re now second in the Championship and the performance looks good this weekend. How excited are you now for tomorrow and that run to Turn 1?

Tsolov: I am really excited. I never thought I would be this close to the Championship lead after these three rounds. The goal was definitely to get a bit closer but so far, we have been doing much more than what we set as targets and goals. Apart from Imola, I think we have been doing really well. Hopefully tomorrow we can close the gap even further. But as I said overtaking seemed really difficult unless someone is slower than you. Let’s see what’s on the table tomorrow, anything can happen in F3 as we always say, so it’s going to be another fun race to watch.

FIA Formula 3: Well good job today.