Interview
‘The mindset is to focus on pole’ - Ferreira encouraged after P2 in Zandvoort Practice
Rafaela Ferreira made an encouraging return to the sharp end in Zandvoort, finishing second fastest in the first and only Practice session.
A difficult weekend last time out at Silverstone saw the Racing Bulls driver qualify 14th before her Feature Race ended on Lap 2 following contact with Ella Stevens, leaving Ferreira with a penalty for the first race this weekend.
Working on sharpening her single-lap performance during the past few weeks, Ferreira stressed the importance of needing a strong run in Saturday morning’s Qualifying.
“During the summer break I tried to focus mainly on performance and working on the sim, trying to put all the sectors together each time,” she explained.
“That’s something I worked quite a lot on because I think it’s going to be very important for me this weekend, as I have the five-place grid penalty for the Reverse Grid Race. It’s going to be quite important to have a good Qualifying for the race on Sunday.”
She added: “It was a good start for us. If we can repeat this during Qualifying, it’s going to be amazing.”
With the Brazilian currently eighth in the Standings on 27 points, minimising the impact of that grid drop and putting herself in contention for a stronger Feature Race result will be crucial to rebuilding momentum in the second half of the season.
READ MORE: PRACTICE: Gademan goes fastest on home soil in disrupted Zandvoort opener
Zandvoort at least offers familiar ground. Having both tested and raced at the circuit previously, Ferreira believes that experience could prove valuable around a track where the margins are particularly tight.
“It’s a very particular track,” she said. “We usually race on street tracks, so it’s very different, to be honest, but I like these kinds of tracks. It’s very old-school.
“We’ve tested here a lot of times, we came here last year, so it’s good to have already raced here before. It’s a track where everybody is very competitive and very close. If you see the lap times, sometimes it’s only a second between first and last place or even less.”
As she looks to qualify inside the top three for the first time this season, rain could add another variable, although for Ferreira the changing conditions may offer as much opportunity as risk.
“I don’t know how it’s going to be,” she admitted. “I’m not regularly checking the weather. It can be raining or it can be not raining. I think it’s going to be like last year, starting with the wet and then getting drier, but not fully dry.
“I won’t take any stupid risks or do crazy things, just focus on being consistent. I think, on my end, I usually drive quite well.
“Here in Zandvoort, Qualifying is very important, especially for the Reverse Grid, where I already have the penalty. We have more chance to overtake in the rain, so for me it’s good if it rains, to be honest. I hope the race on Sunday is dry.”
She continued: “I’m focused on the top three. The mindset is to focus on pole.”