2022 preparations started straight after Sochi, says PREMA boss Rosin as they bid to recapture the Teams’ title

PREMA Racing boss René Rosin pinpointed the fifth round of the season in Spa as the moment his side lost the Teams’ title, but he backed them to fight back in 2022, saying that planning began right after the final race in Sochi.

The 2019 and 2020 Champions had initially looked on course to take their third Teams’ title in a row before an eight-point round in Belgium for PREMA allowed Trident to catch up and eventually overtake them in the season finale.

And although Rosin believes that the cancelled race in Sochi could have played into their hands, with Arthur Leclerc set to start in sixth ahead of all three Tridents, the team boss admitted that they simply made too many mistakes this year.

“I think that more than Trident winning it, we lost it,” said the PREMA Team Principal, who led Dennis Hauger to the Drivers’ title. “First of all, I am not here trying to find any excuses, Trident won, they did a good job, but for sure, I want to go back to winning.

“Losing Race 2 in Sochi had an impact. If we had done Race 2 , we would have had a totally different mentality in Race 3, but as it was, we had to go everything or nothing in Race 3.

“I am happy with our line-up from this year. Up until Spa, we were quite a bit ahead, but Spa was the turning point. We made some mistakes, and we didn't score enough points. I don't want to accuse the drivers though because I think they were always trying to do their best.

“We need to be working on the car, working with our drivers, and getting ourselves back together and focused. I think that it is very possible to achieve good things next year.”

Indeed, up until Round 5 in Spa, PREMA had an 88-point advantage over Trident but ended up losing the Championship to their Italian counterparts by four points.

Despite the disappointment, Rosin wasn’t willing to dwell on the past, instead focusing on 2022 and their bid to return to the summit of the Teams’ standings and retain the Drivers’ title for a fourth year.

“I wanted to win both the Championships and I am hungrier than before,” he continued. “For us, it would have been the 11th Teams Championship title in a row at this level of racing, so I am a bit bitter because I wanted to achieve that record. It will give me extra power and effort to do a better job next year.

“We already had a meeting after the final race in Sochi to prepare for 2022, which is a bit sad because you want to celebrate what you have achieved. With Dennis Hauger winning, we have taken three Drivers’ Titles in a row, which is very good and worth celebrating.

“But on the other hand, our focus already had to be on 2022 and trying to do our best to improve on the mistakes that we made this year. We are trying to do a better job from both the team’s side and the driver’s side.”

PREMA have a few days until the final testing session of the season and Rosin already has a good idea of who will drive for the team in 2022, although he’s hoping to try a selection of them out over the three-day stint in Valencia before any of the deals are signed and sealed.

“I am hoping to get two experienced (drivers) and one rookie, but there is still a question mark, and it is arriving to the point where I need to make a decision,” he explained. “Honestly, now a lot of drivers want to sign before testing.

“Normally, we would test and then choose. This year, it is not looking like that. I am always trying to get the best out of it because everyone is pushing like crazy to beat us, so I need to always be on top of them.”