Felipe Nasr Q&A

After the opening six races of the 2012 GP2 Series, Brazilian rookie Felipe Nasr has already scored 28 points and currently lies 8th in the Drivers’ Championship. As a former British Formula Three Champion, he undoubtably has his eyes set on a future F1 drive.

Managed by the same organization as former Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen, and having already raced in the Daytona 24 Hours Endurance Race, the 19-year-old Brazilian has already had a highly colorful and competitive racing career.

With Felipe Massa and Bruno Senna currently the only Brazilian drivers’ racing in Formula 1, Felipe Nasr explains his career ambitions as he strives to become Brazil’s 31st F1 driver.

Q: After your first four races in GP2, how do you feel you have settled in to the Series? You have made quite a competitive start!

Felipe Nasr: It is a steep learning curve, new team, new car, new tyres. Such an amount of new things and so little time to test it all! But DAMS was great in transmitting me all the enormous experience they have and making me feel at home to speed up this blending period. This is one of the reasons I was able to be quite competitive from the word go.

Q: With your team-mate Davide Valsecchi making a very successful start to the season, do you feel you will be able to match him throughout 2012?

FN: Davide is in his 5th year in the Series and a very good driver. He worked for that and deserves the success he is having. I can only have him as an example to follow closely, and if I can one day or another match or beat him means that I am also working and progressing in the right direction.

Q: Racing at this years’ Rolex 24 at Daytona, how much of a learning curve was this for you? How different was it in comparison to open-wheel racing such as British Formula Three or GP2?

FN: The Rolex 24 at Daytona was both my first experience driving a car which I could not see where the front wheels where pointing to and my first endurance race. It is all about falling on a different performance groove and it served to see how good my physical and mental preparation was. I want to do it again next year for sure. Although it is so different from F3 and GP2 it is a racing car that has to be driven gently as fast as possible.

Q: How special does it feel to be classed as a British Formula Three Champion, along with fellow countrymen Ayrton Senna and Rubens Barrichello?

FN: And so many other names Brazilian or not. I will always be proud of having my name in the British F3 Hall of Fame, if you can call it that.

Q: The three British Formula Three Champions’ before you (Vergne, Ricciardo and Alguersuari) all drover for Carlin and eventually became Formula 1 drivers’. Do you see this as a good omen, and do you one day see yourself as a Formula 1 driver?

FN: Isn’t it part of the package? Win F3 get F1? Haha! Just joking, hope it is more than a good omen and it turns into a prophecy.

Q: Many Brazilian drivers’ have raced in America’s IndyCar Series. Would you one day consider racing in the U.S. yourself?

FN: I am a professional racing driver, all doors must be open and all opportunities have to be analyzed when the time comes. Now I am concentrated on my DAMS GP2 era and my eventual future in F1.

Many thanks to DAMS and Felipe Nasr for the communication and time taken to complete this interview.

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