Consistency now the goal for Meguetounif after ‘special’ first win in Imola

Sami Meguetounif has made an impressive start to life in Formula 3, including taking a maiden victory at Imola last month. The Trident driver is satisfied with how things have gone but is looking to get more consistent results in the second half of the year.

The Frenchman made a strong start by scoring points in both Sakhir races, including a P4 in the Feature. However, that was followed by a difficult weekend in Melbourne, where a crash in Qualifying saw him leave without a point.

He then achieved his first F3 victory with a stellar performance in the Imola Feature Race after qualifying third behind his teammates. But a week later he left Monte Carlo without scoring a point, having suffered contact that forced him onto the sidelines of Sunday’s 27-lap event.

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As he reflected on his season so far, Meguetounif says that even though things have been a “bit up and down” the potential for more is clearly there.

“I think we have shown our potential since the beginning,” the Frenchman declared. “We had a lot of positives in Bahrain, I think my first weekend was quite good as a rookie, I managed to do a good quali, putting together what I learned in the test and a decent result in the Feature Race, finishing fourth, so it was quite good and I was happy with that one.

“I think in Melbourne, it was a big mistake on my side, the potential was as good as Bahrain, even more maybe, but I just maybe asked too much from the car compared to what was possible and maybe took too much risk. So, Melbourne was a big down and a big mistake, but I learned a lot from it.

“We managed to bounce back in Imola, which was great for the team as well, we scored good points, we did a great Quali and managed to win the race and it was a very nice moment for me personally.”

Looking back on that weekend in Imola, Meguetounif admitted that because they had to prepare for Monte Carlo almost immediately, he did not get a lot of time to realise and enjoy what he had achieved.

But as he analysed the race, he admitted how “proud” he was with how he handled the situations, calling his performance “mature” and “smooth”, which makes is accomplishment all the more special.

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“In the Sprint Race I had an incident, something that was difficult to avoid with Dino Beganovic and it was a shame because the race was great,” he said. “I took all the good decisions at the start of the race to gain positions and I felt how quick I was compared to the others.

“We were really disappointed Saturday night but at the same time I could see how quick I was, and I had gotten a first feeling of what was going to happen on Sunday. On Sunday after doing a good start with my teammates, we managed to keep our positions.

“I decided to focus on my rhythm and my feeling within the car and really look after my tyres without getting stressed by the pressure I had behind from Lindblad. But I was just entering the very first part of the race driving clean, driving smooth and I knew it was going to pay off if the race was going like that without a Safety Car.

“I was right because there was no Safety Car and I think from mid-race it started to pay off. If you take Ollie Goethe, he had to push a lot at the start to gain positions because he was starting in P7, and I think from mid race I think he was starting to struggle more lap after lap.

“For me I could just increase the pace and from then on, I was in another rhythm. As a rookie I am really proud of this one.”

Joining him on the podium that day was his teammate Leonardo Fornaroli, who finished third. Meguetounif says working with the Italian has been a “big help”, as he has been fast from the start of the season, giving him a great reference.

The Frenchman says he has a “good relationship” with Fornaroli, who has finished in the points in seven of the opening eight races and currently sits third in the Drivers’ Standings on 64 points.

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Meguetounif is looking to emulate Fornaroli’s consistency for the rest of the season in the hopes of helping Trident overhaul the 55-point gap to PREMA Racing for top spot in the Teams’ Standings.

In terms of his own personal goals though, Meguetounif said:” I think it's very early to talk about any Drivers’ Championship. I think the only thing I have to be focused on is doing my job now in the right way.

“I don't need to prove to anyone that I am fast, I know that if I just do my job in the right way, and do less mistakes, I know that with the pace we have and with the circuits that I know from now on, I know that the victories and podiums will come to me.

“We don't approach the race weekends thinking about winning or a podium, we focus on doing the best job and in the end by doing that the win comes to you like in Imola. So, when I say consistency, it means do less mistakes, finish all the races, get the right approach in every session, in Quali and for sure then I will not be scared of talking about a Championship.

“But my energy is not going to that way. It's just putting things together and we will see where we end up. So, to win on my third Feature Race in F3, being a rookie, I'm the only one that has done it so far, I think now it's a matter of repeating the same kind of job, and if it's not P1, it's P2, or P3 but I want this more often, that's the main goal.”