Pedro Piquet secured his second victory of the 2018 GP3 Series last Sunday, with the Brazilian coming out on top of an epic battle with Trident team-mate Giuliano Alesi to win at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.
Both drivers jumped polesitter Richard Verschoor before the first corner before fighting right to the chequered flag, with the two switching places on a number of occasions, with Piquet making the decisive move on the penultimate lap before holding off the Frenchman on the final tour.
“I think it was really nice to watch and from the car it was really intense,” said Piquet in the post-race press conference. “You had to drive really well in every corner because you cannot afford any mistake.
“You need to keep close to the car in front. Me and Giuliano had a really good pace, We were pulling away. The others joined us just when we started to fight. I was planning on using the DRS on the final lap, but with 2 laps to go there was an opportunity and I decided to try then because you can never be certain you will get another chance later on.
“And it didn’t work out in the first corner, but I could come back in the second one. I had a good braking and after that it was two really intense laps. It was really hard because I was pushing with really bad tyres in the end. But it was enough…”
Piquet felt he could have done better in Qualifying at Monza but was delighted to be able to take his second victory of the campaign, especially in Trident’s home race. There is now a four-week gap between Italy and the round at the Sochi Autodrom in Russia, which the Brazilian feels will be a big challenge as it is a brand new track for everyone on the grid.
“I think honestly, in qualifying here we had problems and it was drying up,” said Piquet. “I had no feeling in the end. I believe we are much better than the beginning of the year in terms of speed. It’s always good to go home with a win. We improved our position in the standings.
“I think the next race will be one of the biggest challenges for everyone on a new track. But [it] will be very intense and very hard for everyone.”
