Clément Novalak – The Interview!

Hello Clément, first of all, how are you feeling? What have you been doing during these two weeks of break since the last meeting in Saudi Arabia?

I’m fine. I did quite a bit of sports during this time but no simulator for testing. Two good weeks at home in London, it was good after being away for quite some time between the tests in Bahrain, the race there, and the weekend in Jeddah. It was nice to see the family again and to rest.

Can you tell us how you felt about the first race weekend in Bahrain?

Rather difficult in qualifying but we had a good race pace! It’s disappointing for the breakdown I had in the main race, where big points were possible. There is a lot of positivity nonetheless and we have spotted things to improve.

Improved in Jeddah while being not far from the pole for the sprint race? (Same time as Denis Hauger who finishes tenth)

For me in Jeddah, it was harder than in Bahrain, we were not in good shape in qualifying. In the race, we had a very good pace despite the lack of speed that we can experience. It was a somewhat frustrating weekend. Nevertheless, we were able to work and increase our qualifying pace. We are fortunate to have 14 races on the calendar (13 for now with the cancellation of Russia).

“Your teammate walks away with two good results (a fourth place and a victory) as well as the lead in the championship. How do you feel about this considering that you are on good terms?”

I see it positively, that means I need to improve because I believe the speed is there! The positive thing is that the car is fast and we can achieve results. It gives me confidence. I have to keep working and hard work will pay off!

What is your schedule for these three days of testing?

It’s usual, quite a few performance runs, even if we only have eight sets of new tires for the 3-day test, it’s not much considering that the tires degrade quite quickly. We have some periods of waiting, knowing that it’s quite cold. On the first day, we worked on qualifying stints. On the second day, we focused on long race stints. For the last day, we will see based on the weather conditions and the remaining tires.

How do you feel here at the Barcelona circuit?

I feel good! We had good results on the hard tires, not far from my teammate despite making some mistakes in my lap. That’s a good sign. I feel more confident with the car, we were able to push it. We are making progress. I think the work is starting to pay off.

What are your goals this season?

I am not someone who really sets goals for myself. I just want to give my best and achieve the best results possible. I am more focused on personal improvement than on results and rankings. A good season would be top 8 and an excellent one would be top 5. There are still many races left, nothing is decided yet.

Next meeting, Imola where you have never raced before. What do you think of the circuit?

Personally, I have done some simulator training on it at home. I love this track, it’s quite complex as we have several rumble strips to navigate. It’s going to be fun, not many drivers have raced on it, so it will be a new experience for everyone. I can’t wait to be there!

We thank Clément for giving us some time during these trials. We wish him success for this season!