Nadal/Djokovic tennis match inspires Nissany to maiden F2 podium
Williams Formula 1 test driver Roy Nissany has revealed how a tennis match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal helped him score a maiden Formula 2 podium in Monaco.
The DAMS driver produced arguably his best drive of his F2 career in the opening sprint race in the principality to score an impressive third place behind race winner Guanyu Zhou and UNI Virtuosi team-mate Felipe Drugovich.
Although Nissany benefited from Christian Lundgaard’s retirement from second earlier in the race, the Israeli driver has produced solid pace throughout the weekend having netted seventh in Thursday’s qualifying session.
However, reflecting on the breakthrough podium achievement, Nissany says a recent tennis match he watched between Djokovic and Nadal provided a valuable lessen he successfully applied in today’s race.
“The tennis match that I luckily saw and was pretty focussed on I was able to see how tension between the two players was getting higher and higher through the match,” said Nissany.
“I could see from the eyes and their body language that Nadal was able to keep his rhythm and maintaining his pressure throughout in contrast to Djokovic, and I’m not a tennis expert, but from what I could see he was more spot on at the beginning and at one point [he would] lose it.
“This is something that might happen here in Monaco.
"I came to the conclusions that I don’t have to be spot on and pushing throughout the whole race but have my pace and rhythm and keep it. I applied it and it worked.”
Roy Nissany, Dams
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Nissany also credited his role as a Williams test driver as one of the reasons he is enjoying a much stronger showing in his third season in the F1 feeder series.
The 26-year-old drove the FW43 in the Bahrain pre-season test and enjoyed a run out at Barcelona earlier this month.
“I think the [F2] race in Bahrain didn’t really show our full potential and the work we have done since then has been massive and very thorough so hard work pays off and we see it here,” he added.
“Regarding the Williams role being a second year there it has an added value because I’m getting more and more experience in the F1 car and taking a lot of conclusions into F2.
“Getting the opinions from the engineers, and I’m translating it as much as I can into F2. It is something great to have with me and something to carry me on.”
Nissany will start Saturday’s F2 sprint race from eighth on the grid courtesy of the top 10 reversal as per the championship’s new-for-2021 format.
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