‘I love these kinds of races’ – David on going from 17th to fourth in Monza Sprint

Yevan David hailed his “incredible” drive from P17 to fourth place in the Monza Sprint, with the AIX Racing driver aiming to do even better in Sunday’s Feature Race.

The Sri Lankan had an excellent morning, steadily making moves through the field, before making a final lap overtake at the last corner on Alessandro Giusti to take P4.

Reflecting on the race, David admitted he knew such a performance was possible given that they had not shown their true pace in Qualifying – where he finished 10th in Group B.

“Honestly it was incredible,” said David on the race. “I knew we had the pace and the potential, we just got a bit unlucky in qualifying but it happens. I knew it was Monza and I was being a bit careful in the first lap.

“Luckily, I made a couple of positions and then from that point onwards was just keeping it clean. We obviously gained a lot of positions just from people crashing and the unfortunate incidents. I was able to make quite a few overtakes, especially on the last lap with Sandro into the last corner.

“So that was a really nice one for me to get P4. Obviously, it would have been nice to be on the podium, a few more laps and we probably would have been. But that's the goal for tomorrow to be up there again.

“It's really nice to score points, I really like Monza. It's a little bit of a home race for me. I've got some family here, I lived here for a while as well. So honestly it was a really nice experience.”

Speaking more about the race, David revealed what his game plan was, as he set his sights on overtaking those in front while also defending from others, with there being three DRS zones around the lap.

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“I think mentally I was always trying to keep calm because it's a long race,” he said. Technically, I was just really trying to focus on getting a good exit.

“The momentum down these straights is very important, and also so is getting a good exit compared to the people behind that have DRS.

“So I was really just focused on that and I knew even though I didn't have DRS to the guys in front, they'll fight a little bit. Then if I kept consistent, I'll get the DRS and make some moves. So it's just about remaining calm, focusing on exits for the momentum on the straights.”

With plenty of action and overtakes out on track, David continued to talk about his appreciation for Monza, and the challenges the Temple of Speed presents drivers.

“Honestly, I'm a driver that can't emphasise this enough,” he continued. “Obviously, it's not nice to see people crashing and incidents like that. But to just have close racing and battles from Lap 1 to Lap 18, honestly, I couldn't have enjoyed it more.

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“I just love being in such a mix like that. I love these kind of races. It's what I'm here for. That's the best part of racing for me. So, I honestly really loved it and hope Monza is going to be on the calendar for eternity, to be honest.”

Looking ahead to the Feature Race, David says he is aiming to have an even better race on Sunday, even though he would not be drawn on what result he is targeting.

“Well, I'm not results orientated,” he concluded. “But let's say I'm aiming for an even better race.”