Callum Ilott: “My priority is an F1 seat in 2022”

One week (interview conducted on December 11) after this final of F2 after which the title escaped you, how do you feel?

I'm doing well, thanks. I'm not too disappointed considering my season. I'm not super happy either since I wasn't champion, but I'm proud of what we achieved with UNI-Virtuosi. We had a big year. It was one of the most competitive F2 grids in recent years.

The battle was close with Mick Schumacher. What did you miss?

Over the season, I was slightly ahead of him in the main race and very well ahead of him in qualifying, with five poles to zero. However, he clearly made the difference in the sprint races. Thanks to his excellent starts, he was systematically able to gain a lot of places over the first 200 meters. I managed to regain one or two positions, but not three, four or five like him. In the peloton, it was difficult to overtake without hitting the tires. Unlike him, I was in the Top 2 of the championship all season, so I limited my risk-taking by taking too much precaution and being a little late in overtaking. Mick really made the difference in the sprint race, which is ultimately only a particularity of F2. It doesn't exist in F1.

You also made quite a few mistakes…

Not that much, but yes, still. There was a spin in the sprint race at Silverstone, and I take responsibility for it 100%. There was this stall in the pit lane at Monza, a combination of factors I've never encountered before. Without forgetting my abandonment at Spa where Yuki tsunoda, unintentionally, sent me into the scene. Making mistakes happens, but when you're playing the title, you can't afford to make a lot of them. There were one or two too many.

The full interview can be found in AUTOhebdo No. 2291.