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Luca, how are you getting on with the Tatuus
Formula Alps?
«Very well, it has a lot in common with the
Abarth, which was the only single‐seater I’d
driven before, but it’s a little more evolved. You
can drive it like a go‐kart, which means that you
have to take it to the limit especially on the
central section of the curves, in order to get the
most out of it, because it hasn’t got a big engine
to help you out».
What do you think are the most interesting
technical solutions?
«The chassis is a cross between a Formula 3 and a
Formula Abarth. The times are close to the latter,
but in many ways the driving style is similar to
the F3 ».
Can this car help you to prepare for senior
categories? If so, why?
«I think it provides good training for next stages,
because aerodynamics is not too extreme, which
means that it helps you learn how to drive.
There’s not much power, which can get you out
of trouble sometimes, forcing you to drive very
precisely and exploiting the aerodynamics and
mechanics on the curves. In WSR and GP2, with
their 500 CV engines, it’s the power that helps
you, but if you’ve already developed a good
driving technique thanks to experience in
categories like F.Renault Alps, it gives you a
distinct advantage over those who haven’t».
How does the car compare with the Formula
Abarth you were driving last year?
«Aesthetically they’re very similar and there are
similarities between the driving styles too. The
big difference concernes the tyres: Michelin has
an highly competitive racing compound. The
balance is similar too, which can be seen from
how successful the package has been. The braking
on the Renault is superior, similar to the Formula
3».
What are your aims for the championship?
And for your career?
«I’m aiming for a second place in Alps, because I
had few problems adapting from the Kumho tyres
to the new ones at the start of the season and I
lost a lot of points to Fuoco. Unfortunately I only
really started hitting my stride at the halfway
point otherwise I’d be in the mix for the title now,
but I was already 50 points behind by the time we
got to Imola. As far as my career is concerned, my
dream is to make it into Formula 1, but I’d also
like to become a professional driver in a program
like DTM or Le Mans».
As a driver, what could the engineers at
Tatuus do to stil, further improve the car?
«It’s difficult to improve on a car that has to
maintain certain standards! It’s a single‐seater
that has been designed to help young drivers
make the step up from karting to formula racing,
and I don’t think it needs modifying in any way. If
the car performs too well then there would be no
step up to Formula 3, so I would say that Tatuus
has done a very good job».
Antonio Caruccio
