| For Racing Engineering’s young Swedish driver Gustav Malja it has been an up and down season but in the last two race weekends it has very much been a case of “up” as he took home points at both. The upcoming races at Jerez have special significance for the Spanish F2 team as, for them, it is their home race and they have, as usual, been preparing as hard as ever to ensure their cars and drivers are prepared to the highest possible standards.
Below Gustav tells us about his recent races and how he has prepared for next weekend’s racing in Jerez.
After scoring points in the two last events, how do you face the last two race events of the 2017 FIA Formula 2 Championship season?
Spa was overall a positive weekend with a good Race 1, P4 in both qualifying and in the race and I enjoyed them. Monza was a difficult weekend in general, the qualifying potential was good, I made a big mistake in the 1st chicane and so had no tow at all on my fastest lap which cost me hugely. Then in both races, the pace wasn’t good enough, in either rain or dry, and especially the dry Race 2 was a massive disappointment there and then, starting from pole position I had too high tyre temps very early on and then I just struggled with tyres all race long. I am looking forward for the last two events, I am going to go all out, be focussed on the job, and most importantly enjoy it!
There was a one month break between Monza and the upcoming event in Jerez. How did you prepare for your team’s home race? Can you talk us through what your last month looked like?
I have been working hard ever since Monza, physically, mentally and technically. There have been a lot of hours put in the gym, running, sim, on-track driving. I’m arriving well prepared.
The Circuito de Jerez de la Frontera has a rather short main straight and a variety of low, medium and high-speed corners. What do you see the most important factors are to keep in mind from a driver’s point of view?
The track is a very intense one, not a lot of straights, so it will be physically and mentally challenging for drivers. I like the track, I think it will be important to get in the zone and, first of all, have a good qualifying, then take well care of the tyres in the races as it is a track where it’s generally hard on tyres. The track’s been resurfaced since last time when GP2 were here in pre-season testing last year, which will help with the tyre usage. The track is a very twisty one, but I have a good feeling of what’s needed in every corner in terms of driving.
As mentioned above, Jerez will be Racing Engineering's home race. What are your expectations for the upcoming round, the second race event in Spain this season?
It will be amazing to drive on home soil for the team. I have spent the whole year at the team’s workshop before the tests and race weekends preparing, and to have a race weekend there now will be really nice! I have a lot of supporters coming from Sweden, so it will all in all be a race weekend with a lot of support and that will feel really good. Let’s see what we can do! |
