Bahrain, Le Mans Prep and Flapjacks in the Sim! Fred Vesti’s Diary

Where to start? Firstly, it’s been great to see the team have such a positive start to the season, and to see all the hard work we do at the factory have an impact on track.

I’ve been on track a fair bit myself recently – I enjoy the simulator, but nothing beats the tarmac.

I had my second IMSA race of the season, at the Six Hours of Sebring back in March. After crashing out of Daytona earlier in the year I wanted to make sure we bounced back.

I ended up leading 110 of the 125 laps I did, and it was only a small problem towards the end that cost us a podium. We deserved more than the P4 we finished with.

But I still left that weekend feeling really positive. I ended up being the fastest of all the GTP drivers if you take the fastest 20% lap times. I was really proud of the team. I had people asking me if it was really my first time at the track – when you get asked that you know you have done a good job.

I still feel like a rookie on this grid, but I love the challenge of going up against all these experienced racers, that’s exactly why I do what I do – to push myself and become better.

And what better to way to do that than get behind the wheel of a Formula One car. No words can really describe how proud and happy I was to drive W16 in FP1 in Bahrain.

It was really special to be back working with a team that I have known for more than five years now, and it was certainly a challenge with 50C track temperatures, there was absolutely no grip at all – that’s not something we had ever prepped for in the sim.

At first, I thought I was struggling. I had a couple of big lock-ups on my first couple of laps, because I was really trying to push the limits. I was sat in the garage after those first two runs getting quite hard on myself but looking back, I am proud of the confidence I had.

Once the Medium tyres were on, I settled down, and think I managed to go P4 of everyone on that set. It was a shame not to use the Softs, but I knew the team needed those for the rest of the sessions and knowing that I helped contribute to the team’s best weekend result of the season is really satisfying.

After the session, George told me ‘Good job keeping it out of the walls,’ so you know how tricky it was for all the drivers out there.

Having Toto talk to me over the radio too was a super proud moment. It was a small detail, but it made such a big difference to me, even if it did come as a bit of a surprise when I heard his voice!

Time flies in F1, it really does. I realised the other day that I have driven the past five Mercedes F1 cars, from W12 to W16. A few years ago, I was dreaming of just sitting in one and now I can look back and say I have experienced them all, which is completely insane to me, but also really special.

I have felt every step the team have taken with those cars, both in the sim, and on the racetrack.

The life of a racing driver really is non-stop. One moment you’re in the darkness of a simulator in the early hours of the morning, the next you’re on a plane heading stateside for a Grand Prix.

That’s exactly what happened to me in Miami. We all saw how busy and crazy that week was for the team on and off track, and it was exactly the same for so many of us working race support back in Brackley.

The Miami sim sessions are some of the worst of the year because they are offset so much to the time zone. We started running at 10pm UK on Friday and went through the night to Saturday morning. It was very tough to stay mentally and physically alert.

I always try and get some exercise and fresh air when I can, to stretch the legs, and occasionally I will go for a run. To prepare, I got up very early, did some exercise to tire myself out, and then had a quick nap in the afternoon, to try and help me extend my day.

You get to a point when it feels more about survival to be honest, and one of my favourite things to do is snack, I don’t mind a flapjack or two during an overnight sim session!

Straight after Friday’s night stint, I hopped on a plane and was trackside for race day Sunday, which was such an incredible experience, especially with George’s podium.

Looking forward, I have my next IMSA race this weekend at Laguna Seca, a really classic American road course – it’s a bit like Monaco without walls, mixed with the elevation changes of Zandvoort. I’m definitely excited to race through the corkscrew for the first time!

This will be my last endurance test before we head to Le Mans in June, so we will want to continue building our confidence in the car, step by step.

Speaking of steps, preparation for my Ironman attempt in the summer continues too.

There is a crazy amount of training going on at the moment, in addition to what I already do as a racing driver. There is of course a lot of overlap, especially on the cardio side, but I am loving the challenge. If I wasn’t a racing driver, this is probably what I would be doing.

My least favourite part is the swimming because I am not a very strong swimmer. But that’s why I am doing this, to get better and see how far I can push myself.

The next few months are going to fly by before you know it the summer holidays will be here!

We’ll talk before then, but I hope you all enjoy the next few busy weeks and months of motor racing!

Chat soon, Fred.