Jules Roussel after his first FRMET weekend: "I have a good feeling with the car"

Jules, the weekend didn't go as you hoped, can you explain why you weren't able to take part in the qualifiers?

I'd never driven the old car, so the first few days of testing were mostly about discovery. I'd never worked with the team, the car was new to them, they'd never even driven on the track… I had to prepare myself as best I could for the challenges. On the first day, I only managed two fast laps because I had a problem with the throttle. On the second day, I started to gain confidence with the car. I was getting closer to the top 10, knowing I could see where I had room to improve.

Then, during the official tests, I was still losing a lot of ground on the brakes. I wasn't braking late enough. They changed the brakes to a softer system. You could brake later with those brakes, but I also needed to get used to them again. Those who had already driven the car had a head start. Finally, in the race simulation, I made a small mistake exiting turn 14. I touched the wall with the rear. On Saturday morning, my pace was already slower, but then they detected a small crack in the engine block. They had to change the engine just 40 minutes before the start of qualifying! Unfortunately, I missed the first session, then 95% of the second. There wasn't enough oil in the new engine after all. During my first lap, the engine lost oil pressure, and then on the second lap, it went into limp mode, so I couldn't drive in qualifying.

You said it, it was your first time in the Tatuus, what are your impressions of the car?

I still have a pretty good feeling in the car; I feel quite comfortable. The main problem is that the gaps are very tight. In a single session, gaining two tenths of a second can move you from twelfth to fifth, for example. Even so, twelfth place is already a good result considering the circumstances; I think it's achievable. I've identified the areas I need to work on. I used this weekend to learn as much as possible. Just the fact that I'd never driven the car before meant I constantly compared my benchmarks to those of others. I was able to see what a good corner exit looks like with this car, for example. In terms of race pace, it wasn't too bad. Starting near the back, it's impossible to set a fast time with all the battles, but I still managed to keep up with the R-Ace, ART, and even Prema cars. I also made a good comeback in each race; few drivers managed to overtake so many.

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Can you explain the reasons for these repeated stalls that marked this first weekend?

It's not so easy to stall if you want it to. But to get a quick start, if you try to release the clutch a little too soon, the engine stalls quickly. Those who try to play around with the clutch get caught out. When I tried releasing it too soon before a training lap, I stalled myself. I'd say it's much more sensitive. It's not a question of experience, it's really about management. I think it could happen again next weekend.

Looking ahead to next week, do you see the fact that you'll be racing in Abu Dhabi again as an advantage?

I think it's an advantage. It's a chance to regain the lead the others had. It will depend on how the team works, and on my end as well, of course. What's certain is that there's a way to do something good, to get some good results. I don't know where I stand yet, but if we put everything together, we can achieve something.