© Foto Sebastiaan Rozendaal / Dutch Photo Agency
Rene Binder satisfied, and happy faces all round at Trident Motorsport: After three days of pre-season testing at the Yas Marina Circuit, Rene Binder flew back from Abu Dhabi on Thursday to his home in the Austrian province of Tyrol. The 23-year-old newcomer to the Milan-based outfit was buzzing with excitement after making a breakthrough into the Top Five. A problem with the new DRS on the final day frustrated an attempt at a best lap time but could not detract from a broadly successful week of testing.
Question: In contrast to Formula 1, GP2 tests really do tell observers a lot. What conclusions can be drawn after these three days at the demanding Yas Marina circuit?
Rene Binder: “By and large, I’m very happy because we are heading in the right direction. Team rapport has been perfect so far, and in Raffaele Marciello I have the ideal team-mate – someone who is not only extremely fast but also a real team player. I certainly hope that, with this setup around me, I’ll be able to keep pushing my personal ceiling and deliver the appropriate results.”
Q: How big is your ambition to come out looking good when you’re starting alongside someone who is currently the reserve driver for Sauber and is even being touted as a successor to Kimi Räikkönen at Ferrari?
RB: “It certainly won’t be for any lack of ambition on my part. And when everything is going perfectly for me, like on the first day, I can compete at the same level. All the same, we have to be realistic about this. Lello (Editor’s note: Raffaele Marciello) has been one of the best Formula 3 drivers of all time, and when you look at the current crop of GP2 contestants, there are quite a few drivers who have been contenders for the title in various high-profile series. You can’t automatically expect to excel at such a high level.”
Q: GP2 has taken a leaf out of the premier class of motor racing and introduced the Drag Reduction System, or DRS for short. What are your impressions of it so far?
RB: “Although it didn’t work for us on Thursday – and annoyingly on my qualifying simulation – I am convinced that we will see better racing and more overtaking thanks to DRS. It makes the cars around six to seven tenths faster.”
Q: In just two and a half weeks, everyone will be going to Bahrain for a full dress rehearsal. Who are the favourites, and what targets have you set for yourself in 2015?
RB: “For me, Stoffel Vandoorne counts as the main favourite, although Gasly and Lynn have the best equipment available to them at DAMS. But perhaps Marciello will also be in with a shout. In terms of basic speed, he is perhaps even the fastest of them all. As for my targets, I’ll just take each race as it comes. Things are looking a lot better, but there is still some homework to be done.”
Thank you for the interview!
Source: Press Release by ENIK Motorsport Management & Sports Consulting
