Balas surprises Dayraut and Prost

Bertrand Balas, we were expecting other pilots, like Alain Prost or Jean-Philippe Dayraut. And it's you who surprises everyone by obtaining first place in the qualifying heats. Are you surprised by your performance?
When I start a race, it's about doing my best, and therefore winning. With the Saintéloc team and my partner, Eurodatacar, we did everything to optimize the car and manage the tires well. This really bodes well. Starting a season like this for a private team is fantastic. We have the support of the dealer group Toyota but resources remain limited. For the moment, we have not finalized our budget for the entire season so this could be a wake-up call to potential advertisers who would like to support us. Because it’s going to be a great season! The plateau is very, very high. There are former pilots of F1 who are now ice cream experts. So I am very happy with this good start. It proves that ice cream keeps!

Most of the points are scored during the qualifying rounds. You have collected 60, while there are only 20 left to take in the final. It is a race during which you have to ensure?
In the final, you must above all try not to be caught in a pile-up. The main thing is that the car goes to the end. Final aside, victory in the qualifying rounds is a great reward for the team.

How did you feel during this first day of competition?
I started very diligently, close to the ropes. In the first round, I had the second time behind Jean-Philippe Dayraut but I lost a lot of time in the first lap (time covered in four laps) because my tires were not broken in. So, during the second round, I knew that the tires were broken and that I had to give my all from the start. I tried not to do too much either because, if you want to be too greedy, you can quickly make a mistake. My four laps were very consistent and I finished 53 thousandths ahead of Alain Prost. I'm sorry for Alain but last year, I finished second three times by a close margin. You really need a first and a second!

If you manage to play the whole season, do you think you could be a candidate for the title?
We will see step by step. It's a championship that is played out over thirteen races, so you have to regularly finish on the podium to do well. Knowing that victories result in obtaining ballast for the next race and that I already have a natural weight handicap of 20 or 30 kg compared to the other drivers because I am quite heavy, it risks becoming very difficult .