Tatiana Calderón was pleased with her performance during her rookie Super Formula event last weekend at Twin Ring Motegi, with the Colombian finishing twelfth for Drago Corse with ThreeBond.
Calderón managed to get to Japan in time to follow the COVID-19 quarantine rules in the country to participate in the event, and although she was slowest in Qualifying, she felt she learned a lot across the weekend that will bode well for the rest of the season.
The twenty-seven-year-old had not driven the Super Formula car since the pre-season test at Fuji Speedway back in March, and she admitted she was disappointed with her performance in Qualifying that left her at the back of the grid.
“I’m pleased with my first Super Formula finish and everything we learned over the weekend,” said Calderón. “It was a very intense day with qualifying taking place on Sunday morning, and I was a bit disappointed with qualifying as I think we had more pace than what we were able to show.”
Calderón was happier in race conditions, with the Colombian learning more about race strategy and warming up the tyres that she feels will benefit her going forward. She pushed hard on a one-stop strategy and finished just ahead of two-time champion Naoki Yamamoto and former Formula 1 racer Kamui Kobayashi.
“I learned a lot about strategy and tyre warm-up for the upcoming races,” said Calderón. “There’s unfinished business in qualifying for sure. Starting eighteenth, we had nothing to lose and I think the team did a great strategy and a great pitstop.
“There is a lot to learn in terms of tyre degradation, but I’m happy to finish twelfth after an enjoyable fight with Yamamoto at the end. It was for sure not easy physically or mentally, it was very hot, pushing all the time, especially with the one-stop strategy.
“It was a good start to the season with the ThreeBond Drago Corse team and I can’t wait for the next race at Okayama in a few weeks.”
