Interview
Colnaghi happy to end positive post-season tests on top in Imola
Mattia Colnaghi set the fastest time of the Imola post-season tests, bringing a close to what he felt were a positive six days of running in his new Formula 3 car.
The MP Motorsport driver topped the timesheets with a 1:31.824 on the morning of Day 2, finishing the session 0.002s clear of TRIDENT’s Freddie Slater.
READ MORE: Colnaghi ends Imola post-season testing on top for MP Motorsport
Colnaghi also continued his fine form in the afternoon session, finishing sixth overall and speaking afterwards, he reflected on a good few days out on track.
“It has been a very good first few laps, very good test days on FIA F3,” said Colnaghi. “We have been developing throughout the six days we had in Jerez, Barcelona and Imola, and topping up the timesheets today was quite good.
“Of course it's only testing, still a lot to work on, still a lot to learn from the cars to the tyres, to the new tyres, but overall quite a positive day.”
Looking through all three tests, Colnaghi explained how his driving had come on from the first day in Jerez to the last day in Imola.
“I have definitely now adapted my driving style to the car,” he said. “In Jerez I was driving like I was in the previous car I was driving. There is much more power, stronger brakes, and the car is also a bit heavier. So a few things I had to adapt, but overall I think we did quite well.”
When asked what he had to adapt to the most, the Italian said: “Mainly the brakes. They are the biggest thing, and the power as well. The amount of braking you can do in this car compared to the one I was in before is quite different.
“Also the power, F3 has more horsepower. So those were the main things, and the tyre wear was much different.
“But the long runs were and still are the main focus. I need to work a lot on that, but I am sure we can get it sorted before next season.”
Colnaghi has been comparing himself to his new teammates Alessandro Giusti and Tuukka Taponen, who he says he has “learnt a lot” from over the last few weeks.
The MP driver is hoping that he can transfer some of those lessons into the winter, where the hard work will continue ahead of the 2026 campaign.
READ MORE: Brad Benavides ends Day 1 of damp Imola post-season test on top
“I’ll be working on a bit of everything to be honest,” he said. “A bit of sim work, hopefully we can try and do something with that, to make everything better for the upcoming season.
“I’ll be working on my strength as well, just a bit of everything, trying to get there.”