Interview: Catching Up with Fred Vesti

Celebrating F2 victory success with Fred

It was an impressive Formula 2 weekend for Frederik Vesti last time out in Saudi Arabia, bouncing back from a difficult season opener in Bahrain.

Our Junior Driver scored solid points with P6 in the Sprint Race, having started ninth due to a grid penalty given to him after the first round.

Fred lined up sixth for Sunday’s main Feature Race in Jeddah and was quick from the very start, staying out of trouble and looking after his tyres to take a commanding victory. It was his second F2 win and his first triumph in a Feature Race. We caught up with Fred fresh from the podium in Saudi Arabia to talk through the weekend.

How did it feel to get your first F2 Feature Race win?

Fred: "I've waited a long time for this. All of last year, it never arrived, so it was one of my goals and to get it in the second round of the season is very important to me. And I think this clarifies the move to PREMA and how it was the right move for me. This win gives me good confidence for the rest of the season."

Does this result change your mentality at all?

Fred: "It gives me a confidence boost, for sure. I went into the weekend with a five-place grid penalty, zero points and it was difficult, going into a very tricky track and not a lot of confidence. Do I push hard or do I take it easy? It's a difficult decision to make but to me this race win is everything."

Talk us through the Feature Race, how did it play out from your perspective?

Fred: "I had a good start and jumped two people, so I was up to fourth. Then I got Doohan in the pit lane during the pit stop, so that was another place. Obviously, I had a little bit of an undercut and that brought me closer to Martins and Bearman. They were fighting, I got past Bearman and tried hard to put pressure on Martins. It worked well. Around six laps in, he made a mistake and spun, which gave me the lead and we kept it."

How important was it to bounce back after Bahrain?

Fred: "I have a big team around me. Of course Prema but also Mercedes and my personal team. There are maybe 15 people who are trying to help me succeed. Of course, all of those people need a big thank you, there is a lot of work going on, it's not just the stuff you see on Instagram. It is tough when things aren't going well but it's about trying to reset and do the basics well."

Looking ahead of Melbourne, a track you've never been to before, how are you feeling about the next race weekend?

Fred: "I've never been there before. It's funny because it's one of the tracks I remember when I first got interested in Formula One. In 2011 I had the F1 game and was driving with my brother and it is one of the tracks I can clearly remember. I have never been but I know the track very well."

Alongside your F2 duties, how busy have you been with us in Brackley?

Fred: "Very busy, I think they want more sim days than I am able to do at the moment. I am doing quite a few days, but I live in Oxford now, near the factory, so I am very close and I love being with Mercedes. They are very supportive and support me with anything. The F1 test last year was huge and filled me with confidence."