Interview
‘I just want this win’ – Ferreira targets maiden F1 ACADEMY podium from Austin Reverse Grid Race pole
Rafaela Ferreira will be looking to put a disappointing Opening Race behind her as she prepares to start the Reverse Grid Race in Austin from pole position, with the Racing Bulls driver still searching for her maiden F1 ACADEMY podium.
The Brazilian qualified eighth at the Circuit of the Americas, securing reverse-grid pole after a competitive Qualifying session. Her weekend took an unfortunate turn on Friday when she was involved in opening-lap contact and was forced to retire from the race.
Speaking after Qualifying, Ferreira had been pleased with the progress made since Free Practice, although she believed there was still more pace to be found.
“I’m very happy, to be honest," she reflected. "I think we made good progress from Free Practice to Qualifying."
“I still think we have some lap time to find and can take another step forward for the races, but in general, I’m very happy. It was a very competitive session.”
Having briefly featured among the top five during Qualifying, Ferreira was unable to improve on her final flying lap. Nevertheless, eighth place offered a valuable opportunity to lead the field away in the Reverse Grid Race.
“I was in the top five, and then on the last lap I couldn’t really improve,” she explained. “But I’m very happy that I’ll be on pole for the reverse-grid.
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“It’s a very good opportunity. I’ve had the chance to start on the front row a few times this year, so I’ll just try to repeat that.”
It is an opportunity Ferreira knows well, having led the Reverse Grid Race in Montreal earlier this season. On that occasion, the Racing Bulls driver controlled the race from the front, only to lose what would have been her maiden victory after receiving a five-second penalty for a false start, on the final lap.
The penalty handed Mathilda Paatz the win, leaving Ferreira without the result her performance had otherwise appeared to deserve.
With another opportunity to start from the front in Austin, Ferreira was keen to put the lessons from Montreal into practice.
“The race in Canada was very, very good," she said. "The pace was there and we could keep P1 the whole race, so we just need to do the same thing here,” she said.
“I need to learn from my mistakes and not make a false start again. I know what I need to do, so I’m just focused on it.”
Now in her second F1 ACADEMY season, Ferreira is still searching for her first podium finish. Friday's retirement has only added to the significance of Saturday's opportunity, with the Brazilian looking to turn a difficult start to the weekend into a breakthrough result.
Having already demonstrated that she can lead a race, Ferreira made little attempt to disguise how much finally converting that pace into a result would mean to her.
“A lot,” she replied when asked how hungry she was for a maiden podium. “It’s been two years with no podiums. It’s been crazy. I just want this win.”