Tatiana Calderón admits racing in Super Formula in 2020 is going to be a challenge, with the Colombian set to race as the sole entrant for the Drago Corse with ThreeBond team in the Japan-based category.
The twenty-seven-year-old had her first taste of the Super Formula machine at Fuji Speedway at the end of last month, completing seventy-four laps on day one before adding another eighty-nine laps on day two, although her best lap times were towards the bottom of the pack on both days.
Calderón says racing for a one-car team will be tricky for her maiden season in Japan, particularly for a team returning to the grid after a long hiatus, but she felt she made good gains during the test with both the car and herself.
“For sure it’s going to be a huge challenge racing in Super Formula this season,” said Calderón. “The car is super-quick, with a lot of downforce and really good tyres.
“And because ThreeBond DRAGO CORSE is a one-car team, I don’t have any chance to share things with somebody with experience of this car and these tyres. I don’t know what is normal and what is not.
“But we definitely did a step forward during the test, both with the car and myself.”
“Generally I’m quite happy with how the test went”
Calderón says there is still a lot to learn, particularly about the Yokohama tyres, which surprisingly she was quicker on older rubber than new. She was also learning the Fuji track on top of learning about the category.
“I was quicker on old tyres than new tyres, so understanding the Yokohama better will be one of the main targets moving forward,” said the Colombian. “I still need to catch up a little bit on learning both the car and the track, but generally I’m quite happy with how the test went.
“I would also like to thank the organisers for taking extra care in light of the coronavirus situation. It wasn’t a straightforward decision to travel to Japan in these circumstances, but we trust that Super Formula will continue to make the right decision to safeguard people’s health.”
