Interview
Clerot happy to finally show full potential in Spielberg with impressive points haul
Pedro Clerot put on an eye-catching display in Spielberg achieving a podium in the Sprint, and finishing fourth in the Feature Race, and he is happy to have finally shown his full potential.
The Rodin Motorsport rookie qualified in 10th on Friday, just over three-tenths away from pole.
The Brazilian then battled hard in the Sprint and looked set to finish outside the top three, before two last lap overtakes on Jin Nakamura and James Wharton saw him achieve a seasons-best result of second.
On Sunday, Clerot was involved in the midfield battle for much of the race. He then made a late charge and pulled off a double overtake at Turn 6 on Nakamura and Taito Kato to take fourth.
Reflecting on the weekend, Clerot said: “I felt like this was the first weekend where we truly showed what we had the whole year.
“Australia, we had an issue in Qualifying and then we came from P19 to P8 in the Feature. Monaco, we didn't do the last lap in Qualifying, which in the end doesn't really show our potential. Still, we got a P3 there in the Sprint and a P8 in the Feature.
“Barcelona did not really go our way. We had a lot of issues there, and we're still trying to understand exactly what happened. But then here, again in Qualifying, it was a bit hectic and I only got one run and still managed to put in the top 10 with quite a big mistake in my lap.
“Yesterday, we had a really good pace. Again, attacking late in the race and showing that we took good care of the tyres and made the right decisions. Today was all about waiting and making the correct decisions and saving tyres.
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“At some point, I had a lot more grip and pace than the cars around, but that wasn't the right time to use it. But as soon as the big mess started, I thought that it was the time to use it my advantage and we pulled it off, so really happy overall.”
Talking more about his double overtake on the final lap, Clerot said he knew the move was possible based on his previous experience, although his team were not as convinced.
“I tried the move yesterday in the sprint and I knew it was possible,” he explained. “That's a move I've pulled before in my career in different categories.
“I managed to take really good care of my tyres, and I think me and Hiyu were the only ones with no new tyres in the top 10. We did a good job and I was waiting for a good opportunity to attack. Everyone sort of got into a mess and I made the right decisions at that point.
“I saw the opportunity open up in T6 and I took it. It was a bit of a risk, but my tyres were still quite good at that stage of the race, compared to everyone else. So I had the grip to do it and it was a nice move.
“I was laughing with the engineers because they were like, ‘Mate, you're crazy to do this and I'm like, no, I think we can do it.’ But just happy we could pull it off and that was a good race.”
Clerot now has two podiums to his name in his rookie season and currently sits seventh in the Drivers’ Standings with 37 points.
The 19-year-old puts that down to a lot of the work he and Rodin have done together.
“I'm pretty happy with the learning curve I've been having,” said Clerot. “The team have been helping me a lot in that. It's been really good to work with Rodin.
“They give me a lot of support and the main thing is I continue to learn and build every weekend. You get better after every round.
“Generally, I'm very, very happy with everything we're doing and I am looking forward for the rest of the season. We have a home race weekend next for us in Silverstone and I'm sure we'll have great pace there. It's about maximising the result and that's it.”
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- FEATURE RACE: Stromsted becomes eighth winner of 2026 with Spielberg victory
- Wharton taking the positives from Spielberg Sprint despite missing out on the podium
Previewing Silverstone further, Clerot added: “It will be my first time going to Silverstone, so I don't really know what to expect. I'm not going to go with any expectations.
“I'm just going to rock up and drive and feel how it goes. Silverstone has great racing. I remember watching in 2024 when Arvid won both races. That was a really nice weekend to watch.
“It’s a very nice track to drive and I am excited and hopefully we can make a good one for the team.”