Antonio Fuoco was pleased with his performance during the FIA Formula 2 Championship Feature race at Silverstone, despite the Italian feeling that he could have pushed harder on his tyres as the degradation fears were not as bad as expected.
The Charouz Racing System driver secured his fourth visit to the podium of the season on Saturday but found out too late that his Pirelli tyres were still in excellent working condition, with his fastest laps of the race coming in the final few tours of the Northamptonshire circuit.
“I think it was quite good,” said Fuoco to The Checkered Flag. “We scored again a podium and points.
“It was quite a tough race because I think we were saving a bit too much the tyres; we expected a bit more degradation, but it was not there. It was there with the soft in the first stint, up until lap six, I expected more degradation but up to lap six everything was good.
“Then when we put on the hard tyres, it was quite good for all the race, so the whole stint the tyre was there. And the last three laps I tried to push more, and I did my fastest laps, which meant I could have pushed a bit harder.”
Fuoco will start Sunday’s Sprint race from sixth on the grid, and from there he feels positive of another strong result, particularly with the knowledge learnt about the tyres.
“It was a good result for me and the team, to stand on the podium,” said Fuoco. “Up to now it’s a positive weekend, I think we can also do something good tomorrow, we just have to keep working.”
Looking back at the start of the season, Charouz’s first in Formula 2, Fuoco believes it was a tough start in Bahrain but ever since the weekend in Monaco, where the Italian stood on the top step of the podium as victor of the Sprint race, it has been a case of almost constant improvements, something he hopes will continue throughout the season.
“I think it’s quite good for the team because we had a difficult first weekend in Bahrain, and then in Baku we scored a podium and Barcelona was a bit difficult, but I think from Monaco on, we are always close to the top and improving every race,” said the Italian.
“We are doing a very good job, it’s quite good for the team because it’s their first year, they didn’t know the car, didn’t know the tyres, I think they are doing a good job for the moment but we need to improve for the future.”
