Lacorte feeling confident as he targets first points at home weekend in Imola

15 May 2025

Nicola Lacorte is in good spirits ahead of his home weekend in Imola, with the DAMS Lucas Oil rookie feeling confident about his chances of scoring points in Round 3.

The Italian driver is yet to get off the mark in 2025, his best result coming in the Melbourne Sprint Race where he finished 17th.

However, thanks to the work Lacorte and DAMS have done since Bahrain, he is feeling optimistic about their chances at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari.

“Confident,” said Lacorte when asked how he was feeling coming into the weekend. “We've done some good work in the first two rounds, but we haven't had the results we wanted.

“But the work is done, and I feel very confident with the team and myself, so I am hoping for the best in Imola.

Lacorte is feeling confident ahead of his home race in Imola

“I feel confident also because I am a rookie and I know I have no pressure now. I just need to build my confidence and my experience in this Championship.”

Lacorte is not only returning home, but he is also coming back to a track where he has previously won around, the Alpine Academy member winning in Imola back in the 2023 edition of Italian F4.

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So, when asked what it takes to be successful around the 4.9-kilometre track, Lacorte said: “Imola is a very specific track where you need precision, as there is very little room for mistakes. This is what makes the difference here in Imola, and so the key point will be the consistency for me.

“I think tyre management will also be a key point also in the races. We were able to try the medium tyres at the Bahrain in-season test, and we were really fast on it.

“So hopefully we can do that here as well. It will be tricky in the race, but it will be interesting to see the evolution of the tyres.”

Lacorte says he and DAMS have been working hard since Bahrain to improve for Imola

Lacorte also spoke about how much pleasure he has taken from his time working with DAMS so far, a team with a “big history” in motorsport.

PREVIEW: The start of the triple header begins in Imola

With that, alongside the work they have been doing in the factory over the last month, the 17-year-old is very confident about achieving his goals this weekend.

“My main goal right now is to score points,” he added. “So qualifying in the top 12 will be really important for me and then we need a clean race, making positions, so points is the goal.”