Andrea Caldarelli: “Time to put everything together”

How do you manage this dual role of driver and Team Principal?

I had already done it in the past, but not in a championship of this level. You have to manage your time and your mind the right way. It's definitely difficult to be on a circuit with these responsibilities.

It’s also a new challenge for FFF Racing after Asia…

As you can see, we have clearly grown since last year. We have almost double the number of people on the team, half of the structure is new, and must learn to work together. We operate three cars, and the whole team is very motivated.

The beginning will not be easy for us. We didn't have much time to test the cars. We will have only done eight days of driving. The kickoff of the campaign will be mainly focused on internal learning. We are here to win, not to finish second.

But at the same time, you have to be realistic: we are against teams who have years and years of experience. I'm not worried about my team. But it takes time to put everything together.

What support does Lamborghini Squadra Corse give you?

We have a few brand members in the stable. Everything was planned like this from the start. They are very experienced in everything related to settlement. We are based in Sant'Agata Bolognese, just behind the factory, which helps a lot. The partnership is based on the long term.

What about the Huracan GT3 EVO? Are you enjoying brand new cars?

Two are from last year, the other is brand new. I took part in development during the first runs in 2018, then the first six months, with Raffaele Giammaria. The car, in terms of visual appearance, has not changed much.

We did more work under the bodywork. The old version dated from 2015. Each year, manufacturers improve the performance of GT3s with knowledge of the car as the races progress.

We worked on the aero and mechanical aspects, but also on driving flexibility. If it is simpler for amateurs, it is also simpler for Pro pilots. The car achieved the goal of being more consistent. Then there is always the Balance of Performance…

Will you be entered in other championships than the Blancpain GT Series this year?

It won't be full time. We are targeting endurance races like the Intercontinental GT Challenge (from August so Suzuka and Kyalami, Editor's note) or the Creventic races. And possibly the Nations Cup.

For 2020, we are targeting the Intercontinental GT Challenge for the season. We will also do the Lamborghini Super Trofeo in Asia, but not the Blancpain World Challenge Asia.