Norman Nato: Between disappointment and pleasure on the streets of Monaco
Norman Nato met Motorsinside in his Racing Engineering team's motorhome after finishing second in the first GP2 race of the weekend. The Frenchman talks about his frustration today, the pleasure of leading the race in Monaco and his future.
After securing second place by a narrow margin in the first GP2 race this morning on the streets of Monaco, Norman Nato is not angry but simply disappointed that he couldn’t capitalize on his good start and his 40 laps of leading in front of his home crowd.
The Virtual Safety Car cost him dearly and allowed Artem Markelov to win the race against all odds. The topic might seem sensitive for Nato, but he addresses it frankly: “Yes, it needs to be talked about because it’s the reason I lost the race. I had done the hardest part to be in the lead at the start, I had the pace to win the race, we were managing well, without taking unnecessary risks, everything was under control, and we lost the race over something we couldn’t control. I am frustrated and disappointed because unfortunately there was nothing to do.”
Of course, Markelov’s race was rather strange and one might even question his behavior under the Virtual Safety Car: « Markelov got lucky. He started 15th, maybe overtook a car on track, he played well with the rule. He went beyond the limit and wasn’t penalized. Good for him » says Nato, a bit resigned.
The question of the application of this Safety Car system could then arise. But the Frenchman still thinks that it remains a good solution to avoid constantly neutralizing the races, especially in Monaco: « It’s still an improvement. A Virtual Safety Car is better than a simple Safety Car. However, I think the rule needs to be improved. Where it is not clear is that Markelov, several times, took time to decelerate, and on that, the rule is not very clear. »
He will not be contradicted on this point by his compatriot Tom Dillmann, who has not hidden his opinion on the subject by stating that this new system presents significant drawbacks.
VSC doesnt work, simple. If you do a lap at 80kmh in a sector of 120kmh average or a sector of 200 average you don’t lose the same time.
— Tom Dillmann (@TomDillmann) 27 mai 2016
For tomorrow, with a reversed starting grid, the ambitions will naturally be lower for the native of Cannes: « I will not take any risks on overtaking and will try to earn points for the best time, make a good start, and gain a few places. »
Regarding his future, he, unlike Pierre Gasly or Sergey Sirotkin for example, who is not tied to any particular racing team, still has Formula 1 as his goal but is open to other disciplines: « To be honest, my goal is Formula 1, but my objective is to be a professional driver. So if I have no options in Formula 1, I would look towards something else, but for now it’s still too early to consider that. I’m having a very good start to the season, I’m not tied to anyone, and maybe afterwards, with my good results, I will be approached. But for now, that’s not the case. »
The notion of pleasure remains, in any case, very important for the well-being of the young man who realizes how lucky he is to be in his current position: “I enjoy myself in GP2. It’s a separate category, not far from Formula 1. I’m really having fun. Plus, I’m lucky, and we work for it, to be at the front… It’s all about pleasure. After a race like today, I am disappointed, of course, but I really enjoyed myself: being in the lead in Monaco for 40 laps is just pure pleasure. I may never experience it again. So, one must make the most of it.”
This weekend, Nato ran with a special helmet decorated in the colors of Olivier Panis’s helmet, celebrating the 20th anniversary of his victory in Monaco with Ligier. The Cannes native has remained close to the French driver after having raced alongside his son, Aurélien, in lower formulas: “We have the same painter, Olivier and I. Originally, it was his son, Aurélien, who was supposed to wear his colors to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his victory in Monaco, but since the Formula Renault 3.5 no longer races in Monaco, they thought of me. I know Olivier well, he’s someone I appreciate. I was a teammate with his son 4 or 5 years ago and we got along very well. So I do it with pleasure. And it’s still nice to pay homage to him, it’s the last French victory in Formula 1!” he concluded with a smile before adding: “Today, it was for us. I had the helmet that brought me luck but there was something slightly missing…”
From our special correspondent in Monaco
