Jules Roussel, before the FRMET final: "There is much less of a gap with the leaders"

Jules, you come away from this third round with your best result in hand, what do you take away from this penultimate weekend?

Dubai was a weekend where things went really well in terms of performance. We were battling with drivers who were fighting for a top-10 finish, which was a change from the previous rounds. I even took second place in the official free practice session on Friday. In terms of lap times, we were also in the mix. In Q1 I was only five tenths off pole position, and in Q2 I was less than a tenth off the top five. That was positive because I could see where I could find those extra tenths. There's a much smaller gap to the leaders than before.

And in the race? You've accustomed us to great comebacks, how did you manage on a course that was narrower in places?

The first time, it was mainly the first lap that let me down. Despite a good start, I wasn't aggressive enough on the first lap. I made some bad decisions that cost me, getting held up. This probably cost me pole position for Race 2 (with a reverse grid - Ed.) because at the first corner, I was twelfth, but I was overtaken again by Powell. In Race 2, we made the strategic choice to keep the old tires to save a set for Race 3. It was complicated because I had already worn down the tires in Race 1. The third race was ultimately the one that paid off. I gained two places at the start, I had a better first lap, and I was able to battle with drivers like Taito Kato and Jan Przyrowski who were fighting for fifth place… I'm happy, the car was running well, and I was able to make some good moves on the track.

You're confirming that the circuit was less conducive to overtaking as a result?

Yes, that's why I'm happy. When you're within a tenth of a second of each other, it's almost impossible to overtake in Dubai. Despite the dirty air, I felt more comfortable, I was exiting the corners better. That's how I was able to try and overtake. In the last few races, the main problem was braking point. When I got alongside Taito, I positioned myself poorly on the track, on the outside, but I managed to brake later than him. Without the oversteer on exit, I think I would have kept my position.

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With G4, your other personal challenge was to gain more influence within the garage. Are you succeeding in guiding the team more towards your needs and recommendations?

I think so too. I hadn't yet proven my worth to the team in the first few weekends. For me, even now, I haven't shown what I'm capable of. I'm still in the learning phase. Andrea Dupé has already done tests in FRECA, Artem Severiukhin had already raced in Eurocup-3… They managed to get close to the top 5 quickly. When the team doesn't know you well, it seems logical that they listen more to those who perform. G4's strength is the car setup. I've understood a number of things about the car, for example. The brake balance is completely different now. It changes everything. I've also been able to use things I did in F4, and it's much more effective.

En F1Losail is known for being very demanding on tires, how are you approaching this final round?

We haven't discussed it with the team yet. I don't know what to expect. The track is tricky. We'll have to manage our tires carefully at the start to finish strong – assuming the difference is actually made at that point. Whether it's the race simulation or the performance simulation, both will be crucial. We'll have to learn how to go fast on a track like this. I think tire management will be the key.