Interview with Francesco Maria Fenici, Porsche Carrera Cup Italia driver

During pre-season testing for the Porsche Carrera Italia Cup in Imola, we had the opportunity to interview Francesco Maria Fenici, in his fourth season in the series and this year dealing with a change of team, after moving to Raptor Engineering. The Italian driver told us a little about his feelings on the night of the championship, which will start on the weekend between 3 and 5 May at the Misano circuit, also explaining how the tests work in the series where the same type of cars race.

Off Trajectory: Hi Francesco, thank you for this interview. First, how did this test day go?

Francesco Maria Fenici: Hello to you. Today went really well, everything was new with a new team and new people, so the first difficulty was to reset everything mentally. But overall the day was positive. We were never able to take advantage of the new tire unfortunately, because there was a red flag, and then I had a mechanical failure. Unfortunately, these are things that can happen, but overall we had great momentum, and after five months of inactivity I am much happier.

FT: Speaking of being inactive, how do you all get back into the groove after being out of the car for so long?

FF: As I always say, it’s the head that does everything. For the same reason, there are other factors, such as physical preparation, but the head does 99% of the work. You have to go in, reset everything and pretend you got out of the car a minute earlier, not five months.

FT: How does it change the team and having to change all the internal dynamics you are used to?

FF: It’s not easy, because it’s true that the machine is the same, but it’s also true that everyone interprets it in their own way. In the previous team I ran for two years, so we knew each other; here, however, we are still in the discovery process, but the feedback has been excellent, and today we worked to further improve the configuration.

FT: Speaking of the differences between the teams, how can we try to work on improving the performance of the car in the same championship?

FF: The differences are in small things, which later become big. The weight of the car + the driver must be the same, there is less height, the camber must be the same, etc. The machine is almost the same, but what makes the difference is a few adjustments that can be made. The basic aspect, for example, is the tire pressure, and the temperature: without having tires or heaters you enter the track with cold tires, and therefore you have to guess the correct pressure before leaving to get the best temperature, while also working. in the thermal cycle of the ball.

FT: Going back to today, what are you generally looking for in these tests?

FF: We are looking for performance, of the car and the driver, without exaggerating but at the same time trying. We used the session not to stay ahead, as today’s position leaves little time to be found, but rather to try a change of arrangement instead of another and to understand some aspects of Imola, which is the same in structure, but with the new curbs it has changed quite a bit.

FT: Speaking of that song, how did you find it after work?

FF: The difference in the areas where there are all new curbs, because on the one hand they make you feel more confident in attacking them because there are no more panettones; at the same time it is true that before having a bollard made you crumble and you had to manage it, but at least there was an escape route, where now you have to adjust the steps carefully because there is gravel immediately. If before there were track boundaries, especially at the Variante Gresini exit, now as soon as you exit there is gravel, as well as at the Acque Minerali exit.

FT: What is the procedure for this type of testing?

FF: The first thing is to check the condition of the car, check the oil to take on board, evaluate eg the tires, because obviously you don’t go in with new tires immediately, and then you see the race plan. , that is, the day’s plan, red flags, technical problems or other unforeseen events. The first thing to do is always this.

FT: Last thing: what are your expectations for this season?

FF: To grow and continue to strengthen myself. Because in any case it is true that I am a Michelin (Michelin Cup, a subdivision of the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia, ed.), but the other drivers are veterans, when I started my career at the end of 2019 and I did mine. the first real championship in 2020, so the track experience is much less than theirs. Fortunately, the results have been there, see third place last year and 2021, so the goal is to do better.

FT: We hope so, thanks!

FF: Thank you, it was a pleasure!