The next chapter in young racing driver Dino Zamparelli's Formula 2 season.
So it was with Botellino’s Restaurants, Vibe Energy Gum,
CPS Printing Services, Valentino’s Kitchens, Core and Ore, Perform Well UK and
Bespoke Bathrooms that I was going to be racing at Brands Hatch in the UK and
Paul Ricard in France!
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| (c) Formula 2 |
Two race weekends go by – my first podium in one and my
biggest Formula 2 weekend points haul in the other…things are looking up!...
FIA Formula 2 Championship
Rounds: 9 & 10
Date: 13-15 July
Location: Brands Hatch, UK
Driver: Dino Zamparelli
Weather conditions: Wet and Dry
I was excited to be racing once again having worked
extremely hard between the previous two rounds. I knew if I could raise the
sponsorship for the next two back to back rounds in England and then in France,
then with all of August off, I would be able to buy some more time to search
for more sponsors.
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| (c) Formula 2 |
I’ve raced pretty much my entire career in Britain, but
surprisingly, I had never driven the full GP circuit at Brands Hatch. I’d done
the short Indy circuit countless times, but this weekend we were on the GP
circuit. Nonetheless...
Qualifying 1: 4th
The race weekend looked mixed weather conditions and
indeed qualifying started out in wet conditions with full wet tyres. I was
running high up there mid-session but decided to go on slicks towards the end.
I rolled the dice, not literally. Everyone except myself and another driver
took the gamble mid-session to go on slick tyres. I immediately thought I had
made the wrong decision; however, I stuck with it and despite only doing 3
flying laps, managed to post 4th quickest lap. One more lap and I
would have had a clear pole position; indeed, the following two sectors after
the chequered flag were going to be good enough for pole.
Race 1: DNF
The race didn’t go to plan. Was that made obvious by the
DNF bit?!!! Someone bring me the ‘Racing Driver’s Excuse for a Bad Session
Book’!! I was battling in 8th position after making a slow start in
the wet. We were getting to the mid-point of the race and I was just starting
to make an impression on the cars ahead. Whilst attacking the car ahead, I went
for a move round the outside, hit a bump, locked up and beached my car on the
grass. Let’s move on.
Qualifying 2: 4th
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| (c) Formula 2 |
For the second qualifying on Sunday, it was completely
dry. I was happy with my 4th spot as this was a genuine 4th
place on the grid with no confusion about which tyres people were going to use
ETC! I needed a podium out of this to really kick start my season.
Race 2: 3rd
For race two I got the podium I so needed. I made a good
start and jumped in 3rd place behind the leaders. From there I was
never able to catch the leaders, but I kept my cool and held on to what turned
out to be a comfortable 3rd place and my first F2 podium spot. I was
ecstatic, as can be seen by that photo.
And so we digress to France full of confidence and
beaming…
FIA
Formula 2 Championship
Rounds:
11 & 12
Date:
20-22 July
Location:
Paul Ricard, France
Driver:
Dino Zamparelli
Weather
conditions: Bone Dry!
Once again, Paul Ricard was new territory for me, literally.
The track walk on Thursday was something special, such a long and beautiful
track.
Qualifying 1: 6th
Qualifying in the first part of the season has been a bit of
a nightmare. With bad luck, traffic and everything else under the sun, I
haven’t been able to get the best out of qualifying. I qualified 6th
for race one only a few tenths off. I wasn’t too happy, but the pace was in
there for the race, so I was going to just focus on the race.
Race 1: 4th
I made a good start in the sweltering heat of Paul Ricard
and jumped into 4th place at the start. I didn’t quite have the
speed in the early stages of the race; indeed, I was very much saving my tyres
and concentrating on keeping the grip for the end of the race. I lost a
position as a result, but two laps later, I overtook another competitor to move
into 4th. From there, I hunted down the leaders with some fast laps
and closed right in the later stages. Unfortunately the podium just escaped my
grasp and despite only being 2 seconds off the leader by the end, it was a case
of what could have been for race one…what could have been if I hadn’t lost so
much ground at the start, or what could have been if I was higher up on the
grid.
Still, I was very pleased with the speed in the race and was
looking forward to the second race on Sunday.
Qualifying 2: 5th
I didn’t quite get the maximum out of the lap, but I was to
start 5th for race two.
Race 2: 6th
A poor start for race two meant I would slip down to 7th
on the first lap. I know what the problem was, don’t worry. I spent ¾ of the
race trying to overtake for 6th place – not as easy as it sounds. I
then spent the last ¼ catching up to the leading pack. I pulled in a 2.5 second
gap to the leading group and 5th place championship leader, but as I
crossed the line 2 tenths behind him, the chequered flag fell. Oh shame.
Nonetheless, my race pace was once again excellent and had it not been for a
poor start, I feel a podium was certainly on the cards. I did however pull in
some good points for the Championship (my best ever points haul from an F2
weekend) and am now standing in 8th place overall, within touching
distance of the top 5.
So there we have the update. Two race weekends go by and now
we have a month off. I am going to be working solidly to make sure I can
compete in the final two rounds of the Championship at Hungary and my other
home race in Monza! Now THAT would be something special.
As always JLF1 readers, please show your support by following
on Twitter: @DinoZamparelli. Liking on Facebook: Dino Zamparelli Racing and
Subscribing to my YouTube Channel: Dino Zamparelli Racing.
Until the next time.
Dino
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