Fenestraz: Macau, “the most difficult circuit in the world”

What assessment do you draw from your first full season in Formula 3 ?
It's a season to forget. It didn't go very well. But I believe that a career is made up of ups and downs. In 2018, it was clearly a “low”. We have to get back up and be stronger next year.

How are you approaching this second participation in the Macau Grand Prix?
Last year, I went there to learn. This time, I am aiming first for the podium and then for victory. Carlin has always had a car performing well in Macau, I think we will have the car to fight at the front.

SQUAD pic.twitter.com/nr6pvgI056

— Sacha Fenestraz (@sachafenestraz) November 13, 2018

What did you learn during your first time there that you can use again this weekend?
A bit of everything! The circuit is super complicated. You have to have a lot of patience, and don't skip the steps because the walls are right next to them. If you want to skip the steps, it's the best way to fail. We quickly ruined a session. And a lost testing session means a lot of time is wasted. The goal is to finish each session, and to be as fast as possible from the free practice sessions.

It can't be easy to remain patient while moving quickly...
It's certain. F3 is an incredible level, especially this edition. You have to find a compromise between the two, because you shouldn't take all the risks in testing. Otherwise, you lose a lot of confidence as a driver. When you return to the car after a crash, you have to adapt your mind to the circuit again.

What makes Macau special compared to Pau and Monaco?
Macau is getting closer to Pau. Monaco is simpler. While Macau, everyone says it, it is the most difficult circuit in the world. Last year, Pechito (Lopez, triple WTCC world champion. Editor's note) gave me some advice, and there I realized that it was really the most difficult track there is!

Free practices 1
1: 55 | 2: 55 | 22: 55
https://t.co/qjmkbW6JZ5
#MacauGP #FIAF3WorldCup pic.twitter.com/07VXrZXXSJ

— Sacha Fenestraz (@sachafenestraz) November 15, 2018

In Macau, what is special is first of all the length. It's not easy to achieve a perfect lap or optimize each turn. The walls are super close. Next, speed. It's definitely the circuit where we go the fastest in Formula 3. In the lower part, after the pits, I hit 270 km/h during the race. That's what makes this place interesting. We go from a straight line as wide as a highway, to a 90° turn, like a funnel.

In Monaco, we often hear the rule stating that the pole sitter has done 90% of the work for the race. Is it the same in Macau?
That's not really the case. There is the long straight from the start. It is therefore not easy to arrive at the first braking in the lead, because of the suction. You can be overtaken very simply. Last year we clearly saw that from the first to the last lap, we didn't really know what was going to happen. Finally, in the winding part, it is impossible to recover.

Wouldn't it be better to qualify on the second row to take advantage of the draft then?
(Laughs) That’s a bit like it! It's an idea we're thinking about. But you never know what might happen at the start. We can miss our takeoff for example… In fact, everyone will aim for pole.