Page 19 - Dallara Magazine

19
I
COMPETED IN THE
F.3 O
PEN
,
INITIALLY IN THE
308,
BUT IT WAS THE
312
THAT
I
REALLY SEALED IT FOR ME
!
T
HE CAR DRIVES AND HANDLES EVEN BETTER THAN
THE PREVIOUS MODEL
,
AND IT WAS THIS
,
TOGETHER WITH
THE EXPERIENCE IN
F.3
IN
G
ERMANY THAT CONVINCED
ME TO MAKE THE MOVE TO THE
E
UROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
on the face of the earth! The driving
sensation is impressively realistic, and
so are the modifications to the set-up,
the circuits, and the lap times. Once,
when I was there, I met the Indycar
driver Kanaan; he was trying
something out for Indianapolis and it
was an exceptional experience».
It was love at first sight for you with
the single-seaters…
«
The first time I tried a formula (the
Dallara GP3 for the record), I
understood right away why everyone
always says that the sensation you get
at the wheel of a single-seater is
unique. I have to admit that, at time, I
found it quite hard to get used to a
type of car that I had never driven
before; let's just say it was a learning
curve».
Then you moved on from the Dallara
GP3 to the Dallara F.3…
«
And I fell in love with the category
straight away. I competed in the F.3
Open, initially in the 308, but it was
the 312 that I really sealed it for me!
The car drives and handles even better
than the previous model, and it was
this, together with the experience in
F.3 in Germany that convinced me to
make the move to the European
championship».
How difficult do you expect the
European challenge is going to be for
you?
«
I like to think that I will be competing
in a highly competitive championship,
full of really fast drivers. There’s
nothing I like better than a challenge
that seems impossible. My whole
career so far has been a series of leaps
in the dark, and every year has
brought a new and more difficult
challenge, and I fully expect this to be
the most demanding».
Why did you decide to move to a new
team, almost a “family concern” as it
were?
«
A series of coincidences, and some
expectations that were not fulfilled
during 2012, convinced me and my
advisers to opt for this solution, not
least because at least now we know
exactly who we will be dealing with.
Ferraris has always been supportive
and it’s definitely the wisest choice. It’s
going to be tough, and I’m going into
it with very little experience, but that’s
the way I like it».
The European F.3 championship will
mostly be held concurrently with
DTM (German Touring Car Masters)
events this year. Do you like the idea?
«
It’s always been my favourite
category, I debated the idea last year
with a group of directors from BMW
who were following the races in Italy
(
Editor’s note: Michela has also
competed in German GT cars)
However, I've noticed that there are
almost no female drivers left in DTM
these days, they tend to go for top
quality, ex-F.1 drivers, so I think it will
be very difficult for me to break into
that world one day.
Massimo Costa