At the Nürburgring, Christopher Zanella (Motopark Academy) made his Formula 3 Euro Series comeback. The Swiss contested the 2009 season in the young-gun series and finished 13th in the championship, in the end, while coming third in the rookie ranking at the same time.
You had to cope with some re-adaption problems, on your comeback weekend. Did you expect these difficulties?
Christopher Zanella: “Yes I did. I’m contesting the Italian Formula 3 Championship, this year, and am driving a Mygale, there. This chassis requires a completely other style of driving than the Dallara I’m racing in the Euro Series. With the Dallara, you have to drive relatively slow at the apex of a corner to have the chance of accelerating afterwards as soon as possible. Therefore, you have to brake earlier for a corner than with the Mygale. That was something I had to re-accustom to particularly as I hadn’t had the chance of testing the car, prior to my first race at the Nürburgring.”
What are you expectations for the coming rounds?
Zanella: “Last year, the Brands Hatch weekend turned out to be a rather positive one for me. I finished fifth in the first race. I hope that it will once again become a good weekend for me. It’s my goal to make it to the top-eight in race one to then benefit from the reverse grid format and secure a good result on Sunday. Following the race weekends at the Nürburgring and Zandvoort, I realised that I’m accustoming better and better to the car and enjoy driving it, again.”
How do you assess the 2010 Formula 3 Euro Series compared to 2009?
Zanella: “As I see it, the top-ten drivers are just as competitive as last year, although the grid isn’t as big as it used to be. The level at the top most definitely isn’t worse than in 2009.”
