Interview
Parra hails Campos’ incredible step forward but admits ‘bittersweet taste’ after losing out on Race 2 victory
Team Manager Gabriela Parra praised her drivers for their significant points haul in Shanghai but admitted that there is plenty to work to do for Campos Racing as they look to contend for the Teams’ title.
Their weekend got off to a perfect start for Alisha Palmowski as she beat fellow second-year driver Alba Larsen to pole position, with Rafaela Ferreira also achieving a spot in the top five.
Although rookie driver Megan Bruce wasn’t quite as fortunate in P14, they were the only team to have all three drivers score in Race 2, with Palmowski missing out on the win to Audi’s Emma Felbermayr following a poor getaway at lights out.
Keen to focus on the positives, Parra said: “I think overall it was an incredible step forward that we did as a team. Let’s say that balance-wise and racecraft-wise, we improved quite a lot in comparison with last year.
“We definitely have a bittersweet taste in the mouth because we should have deserved the win, but anyway I think it’s positive for the whole team to have all three cars in the top 10 today and all three drivers getting points from the weekend.
“It’s just the first race of the year so we are not going to put our arms down. We can still fight for it, for sure. It’s not how you start the year, it's about how you end it, so we still have a lot of things to improve.
“We have a lot of positives in terms of pace and the drivers so I’m super happy with how the team performed overall and how the girls did out there. I’m proud of my team and we keep fighting.”
Palmowski dropped behind Larsen and Felbermayr on the opening lap and was unable to reclaim the positions until the Ferrari driver went wide while controlling the Safety Car restart, allowing Palmowski through to snatch P2.
Meanwhile, Racing Bulls’ Ferreira suffered a slightly messier weekend as she lost out on a podium on the final lap of Race 1 before Natalia Granada made contact with her in Race 2, leaving her vulnerable to a pass from McLaren’s Ella Lloyd.
She settled for sixth place which added valuable points to Campos’ tally – they currently sit second in the Teams’ Standings, just four points behind Rodin Motorsport.
Asked how Palmowski and Ferreira have changed from their first to second year in the series, Parra commented: “It’s a step forward for both in terms of driving. Let’s say that the amount of things that Alisha had to improve was less in comparison with Rafa.
“The step that Rafa took was huge so I’m really happy with her. I’m really happy with the performance from both of them. This is a circuit that normally is not the easiest one, and not the one that is their preference either. I guess that now we’re going to the places that they do like to go, they’re going to perform even better.”
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While the pair are focused on making the most of their final season in F1 ACADEMY and challenging for the title, Parra’s priorities for Bruce are slightly different as a first-year driver.
The TAG Heuer driver already showed rapid improvement in Shanghai as she progressed from 14th to ninth place in Race 2, which Parra labelled an encouraging sign for the rest of the year.
“I think we had quite bad luck with Megan in terms of balance for Qualifying, but definitely the proof is today – she made up five places on the grid and even got points,” she said.
“That’s the best way to compensate for a bad Qualifying so I’m really confident with her performance. I think she has really amazing potential to develop.”