Pietro Fittipaldi secured his best result of the season so far with a strong drive to sixth in race one at Silverstone on Saturday, but felt it could have been better had he started a little higher up the grid.
The Fortec Motorsports driver took his first rookie class victory to stand on the podium for the first time, and believes there is still plenty to come from the young Brazilian as he continues his adaptation to Formula V8 3.5.
“It was a good day,” said Fittipaldi to The Checkered Flag. “We had a decent qualifying, eighth wasn’t where we wanted to be but we were competitive so we knew we had a good car for the race.
“Started eighth, and we battled hard and were able to finish sixth. [My] first rookie podium, so it was really good to win the rookie class but I think there is more to come tomorrow, if we can capitalise on qualifying and start a bit more forward.
“By starting a bit more forward we can hopefully fight for the podium, I think that’s the goal, but I think we’re improving and we have to keep on improving.”
Fittipaldi stepped up into Formula V8 3.5 after a solitary season in European Formula 3, and the Brazilian admitted it has been tough to adapt to the more powerful cars, but feels he continues to improve every time he gets behind the wheel.
“It was difficult as I didn’t do all the winter testing last year,” said Fittipaldi. “I did two days, and I came straight to the championship but every time I get into the car I feel better and feel more confident.
“It’s a really fast car, very physical here, but I think the more you do, the better you’re are going to keep getting.”
