新闻 - It´s going to be a long way down, he says - Mid-season update - F2 World

It´s going to be a long way down, he says - Mid-season update - F2 World

Welcome, welcome back to another mid-season update of F2 World brought to you by Blazefp Magazine. Today's guest is, as usual, our beloved Francisco Pires, the portuguese driver trying to make history on the hands of one of the fastest cars in a FIA championship.

Blazefp Magazine: This season isn't going as bad as the last one right? What are the secrets to this season?

Francisco Pires: Last season wasn't our best mostly due to high risks I guess. We had just left Indy and thought we could risk more. Turns out it wasn't such a great bet. But bad luck also had a big role on those results.
Overall this season is going better but not free of mistakes.


BM: Should we expect a better result on the end of the season?

FP: I'm never going to stop chasing the first place but realistically speaking, I'd be happy with a 3rd place. It isn't just me that is stronger this season, Riks Piks is also fighting bravely and now we're tied, only makes it more interesting.


BM: Indeed. But could you still achieve the so desired 2nd place?

FP: Well I wouldn't say it's lost, Poucette only needs to crash again and I'll probably be on to him. But he's very fast, takes many risks I know, but still it's hard to overtake.


BM: Speaking of custom series now, you have been quite successful this season. Are you aiming for something in particular or is it just for fun?

FP: A bit of both really. I want to get at least podium in every single custom series there is. As of now, I have around 15 already with podium which is pretty sweet but I still have a lot of work ahead. Also helps with the qualification for the Trophy of Champions but that's totally secondary.
But obviously it's also for fun, going to so many different places in the world, with so many different drivers is always enjoyable.
And the one I like the most is the unofficial F3 Luso-Brazilian Championship that zeh101 decided to create. It's truly only for fun but it's pretty competitive, the 2nd and 5th place are only 8 points away and with 2 races to the end anything can happen.
I hope they make it official and that there is one for next season as well, it's quite enjoyable.


BM: Paolo Grandi just stepped on the 1st place on the world ranking. What can you tell us about it?

FP: Congratulations, for starters! Romain Grosjean hang up there pretty well for around 3 or 4 seasons if I'm not mistaken, I can't really tell for sure but I think it was that. But now the youth took his place and I'm positive he'll stick there for more seasons. He's got the resources to do it, a great team behind him and a great manager dealing with his strategies.
I wish it was me of course but with my age I'm seriously getting overtook by younger drivers. Me and many on the top. It was a great ride so far, it'll keep on being it for a couple of seasons more, probably, but we can all see out it's going to end now.
I can assure you though, it was a long way up here, it's going to be a long way down too. And I do not intend to fall fast and easy.


BM: Well this time you can complain it was us who brought it up can't you? We see you're currently signed up for Nascar next season, can we expect you there or is it just a mind game you're playing with your opponents?

FP: Haha that old age reference of yours. It was 2 years ago you started referencing my "non-youth" right? Aye, look at me now, still kicking ass and planning to keep doing it for 2 other years. How wrong were you?
Nascar now. No, that's not a mind game, we've taken care of all the paperwork already and we're ready for it. It'll be a surprise for everyone so I guess we can't really make any promises.
All I can say is that I'm happy with my current opponents, with all due respect for their skills. I know pretty well they can be quite the challenge but it's better that then Grandi, Grosjean or Vernge.
Many say they won't compete in Nascar because of its obvious lack of turns but I don't really care much about that. Sure I prefer a track like Le Mans or Monte Carlo to any oval but I'm here to get the best result possible in every series, Nascar included, and that's what I'll do.


BM: Alright, thank you very much for your time. We'll end the interview here.
Ladies and gentlemen this was Francisco Pires giving us an insight in F2 World Series and his other challenges.
We hope you enjoyed it, see you soon on the end of season update a few weeks from now.


Till then, keep your pedal to the medal!