Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Q & A with Edoardo Mortara

Q. You were in the top two for most of the first qualifying session, but slipped down the order right at the end. Was that a bit frustrating?

Edoardo Mortara: You know, with qualifying for me here there is always something. I always find someone - but it is probably the same for the others. It is always frustrating when you are doing good laps, and every time you cannot finish them. That is really frustrating.

Q. But your car is alright?

EM: Yeah, I didn't hit any walls or hit anything - so that is the first main good thing. It seems we are really competitive, and that is something really nice. I was expecting us to be really competitive and everything seems to be pretty easy for us at the moment.

At the beginning of the session I was struggling, but in the end I started to build up and push really hard - and the car was good. So I think for tomorrow there is more to come. We need to sit down tonight and analyse what could be better from my side.

Q. Is the key target just getting near the front in qualifying, rather than going all out for pole position?

EM: Last year we really dominated the free practice and all the qualifying. Now, the team is trying to slow me down a little, to make some things better - especially for the last qualifying and the races. This is the main thing. Here in Macau, it is not about the free practice sessions or qualifying, everything is Sunday. They are trying to keep me cool, because that is the key moment of the weekend really.

Q. How important for you personally is it to get a good result here, following the difficult times you had in GP2 this year?

EM: Well, this weekend is good for me because I can show what I am capable of when I am sitting behind a competitive car. This year, I was really struggling and at the beginning it was not so bad. I won a race, and I was competitive - doing some really great races. But I was never able to qualify in front and I was feeling very well with the car.

The car, for me, was on some circuits really undriveable, and I could not show what I was capable of. It was a bit frustrating, because I like everyone at Arden. You always have some years like this. Unfortunately for me, it was in GP2. But I am here, and I am trying to show everybody that I am still the same man who took second in the F3 Euro Series and dominated in 2008 - beaten by TOM'S. I want to show that I am not completely stupid and I am still competitive.

Q. What are your plans for next year?

EM: For the moment, not. When you have a terrible season like I had, which was up and down, and it really was not looking great at the end, then nobody is going to come to you. The only ones who know what I am capable of were Volkswagen and my Signature team, as we did a tremendous job last year. They called me and I said yes, no problem. And I am coming here to win Macau - hoping it will open me some opportunities if I do a good result. For me, the only good result I can have at this Macau is to win it.

Q. Do you think the gap between Volkswagen and TOM'S is closer this year than it was last year?

EM: Unfortunately, in the final we did a small mistake. I think TOM'S were building up slowly to arrive on Sunday very strong, while we were pretty constant. And on Sunday we did something that was not really the top, and I was struggling a lot more. We were really lucky to finish where we finished last year. But we have learned our lesson and I think this year is going to be better - at least in the final race.

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Mortara eager to avenge Macau defeat
Next article Mortara tops final practice at Macau

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe