Gastaldi: We are facing challenges but we are a united team

Deputy Team Principal Federico Gastaldi looks ahead to the Italian Grand Prix.

The Belgian Grand Prix yielded a brilliant result for the team, now that you have had a few days to absorb it, what is your take on it?

I was very, very happy for the team but not amazed because I know that the team has the ability to always deliver such great results. We have great drivers and fantastic people here at Enstone. For me we are the best people in the paddock so I’m not surprised by the result and even though we currently face some challenges, we can still deliver strong cars. It was a great job by Romain and a great job by all at Enstone.

Monza is next, a notoriously high-speed track…

Monza is a fantastic race track. As in Spa, we have good chances to perform well in Italy with the E23 and bring back home a haul of points.

Pastor suffered a retirement in Spa, what is the team doing to make sure this doesn’t happen at the next race?

First the team will prepare the cars as usual for the weekend sessions and hopefully, with a clear weekend, we can hope for a good performance by both drivers.

Where do you feel the team is at currently?

We are facing challenges but we are a united team. We have shown many times that we are fighters and that we punch above our weight. We are now fifth in the Constructor’s Championship and that makes me proud of everyone at Enstone. We want to continue to show our worth and fight on each and every lap these coming races.

How important is Monza, and Italy, for Formula 1?

It’s very important for me personally as my ancestors were from Italy! More seriously, Monza, Spa, Silverstone, have all been part of the original history of motor racing. Monza is and will always remain a classic in the Formula 1 calendar. The fans - or tifosi in Italy - are simply amazing and there are so many of them at all these historic venues no matter if it pours with rain or even if it snowed!

What do you like the most about Italy?

The people; Italy is very colourful. The Italian food of course is also wonderful. It makes me feel at home when I’m there, I love the country.

This is the last European race of the season, what are your thoughts heading to the final batch of long-haul races?

We will be heading to races overseas after Monza and we’ll be visiting some great countries and venues. From Singapore which always offers a great night spectacle, to the USA that is extremely popular, to Mexico, a new venue that we are looking forward to visiting this year, and of course Russia, Brazil and Abu Dhabi, places where F1 is warmly greeted and where the promoters are doing a fantastic job. We shall be looking forward to visiting all these places in the latter part of the season..