Andy Consani, UAE4 runner-up: "I haven't shown 100% of my abilities yet."

Andy, hello and congratulations. Two pole positions and two victories to finish this UAE4 season in Qatar, how do you explain this return to the top?

I started the weekend feeling unwell. I had a fever of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Before the first free practice session, I couldn't move. I struggled to breathe all weekend. However, I got off to a good start in practice. We structured our weekend well, which allowed us to reach our peak performance on the tires during the final lap of qualifying. No one was improving their lap times at that point, but I managed to do so in both qualifying sessions. This allowed me to secure both pole positions.

The races were less exciting than in the UAE, but it was your best weekend in terms of results. Were these victories difficult to achieve?

In race 1, my start wasn't great. Bondarev quickly caught up to me. I managed to take the lead and maintain a faster pace than him throughout the race. After that, it was simply a matter of managing the situation. In race 2, honestly, I got a cramp at the start. A really bad cramp. I gave it my all, stalled, restarted quickly to avoid being stuck on the grid, but ended up in the wall with another driver. In race 3, however, I put everything together, even though the tires were a bit old. I managed to set the fastest lap before the finish; my pace allowed it.

Ultimately, you finish as runner-up in the championship behind the protégé of WilliamsOleksandr Bondarev, what did you lack to secure the final victory?

I would have loved to win the title, that's for sure. If I hadn't stalled in race 2, it would undoubtedly have been different, a different race, and perhaps a different championship. But hindsight is always 20/20. We'll never know.

What lessons have you learned from this winter championship?

It went almost perfectly in Qatar, but I haven't yet shown 100% of my potential. I made some concentration errors in qualifying, and I also made them in Race 2 when I should have been focused on scoring points and staying calm. I was too aggressive; I tended to take too many risks.

And now, back for another season in Italian F4, what are your ambitions?

My goal remains to win the championship ahead of Prema. We need to take this experience and apply it in the Italian league. In any case, we had a lot of fun, the team and Mercedes Benz They did an incredible job this winter.