Round 4 Post-Sprint Race Press Conference

FIA Formula 3: Welcome everyone to today's FIA Formula 3 press conference following an exciting Sprint Race here in Spielberg. Joining us in P3 from Hitech is Jin Nakamura and second place from Rodin Motorsport is Pedro Clerot and from Campos Racing, capturing his first Sprint win in F3, it's Ernesto Rivera. Ernesto, congratulations, a first Sprint win. How does that feel? 

Ernesto Rivera: Yeah, it feels really good. It was a very tough race but it feels great to have my first podium and win here in Red Bull Ring.  

FIA Formula 3: Can you take me through that battle you had with James Wharton?  

Rivera: Yeah, we had contact in lap six or seven. I don't know really but we had a little bit of contact. Then I stayed behind him, tried to make the same move three times and on the third time it worked. I braked as late as I could, even went into first gear and got the move done.  

FIA Formula 3: Was that the best place and best passing opportunity for yourself in this race? Was it Turn 3 or Turn 4? 

Rivera: Yeah, I think so because Turn 3 he always defended and I wasn't close enough to pass him in the outside so turn four even with the DRS being a bit closer to him I think that was the best opportunity.  

FIA Formula 3: So you had an injury to start off the season. Do you feel like you're coming back into form here?  

Rivera: Yeah, since Round 1 for me in Monaco honestly I felt quite good. Actually this was my worst qualifying of the year but yeah it was good to win here. 

FIA Formula 3: Congratulations. Pedro coming to you. That was a mega final lap from yourself. Please take me through how you saw it from your point of view. 

Pedrot Clerot: Yeah, it was quite an intense race for me as well. I had Jin in front of me the whole race. I had a good launch off of the first lap, had a battle with Ernesto but yeah I made the wrong decision into Turn 3, and that cost me the position. I was just stuck trying to overtake and then I saw the opportunities, I saw this opportunity come up in the last lap and I just went for it, risked it and in the end it paid off. I wasn't expecting to get a double move but in the end, James Wharton didn't have DRS so that just played in my advantage so yeah just happy that we could make this stick to stick the move and yeah just happy with the podium.  

FIA Formula 3: How were the tyres towards the end there because it looked like you were shot out of a cannon there. 

Clerot: Yeah to be fair I think I had more pace than maybe the cars around but yeah just with the DRS strain it's difficult to overtake and you're kind of stuck and then the moment you have clean air then boom you can really show your pace so yeah just a shame that we couldn't really maximise truly the result but still I think it's a good race and it was a good move in the last lap.  

FIA Formula 3: Congratulations on the P2. Jin coming to you. Congrats on your first F3 podium. How does that feel? 

Jin Nakamura: Thanks so much. I'm just very happy so I think maybe I shouldn't say really happy, but I am happy with P3. It's my first podium so it's very nice.

FIA Formula 3: Can you take me through that that last lap battle between yourself and Pedro?  

Nakamura: I mean Pedro was very quick whole race from the first part of the race I was lacking in a bit off pace. I was always defending him, I was really scared of him but I mean I was really lucky on the last lap because Wharton didn't have DRS from I think T10, so I was really lucky. It was a really big move you had on James around the outside there. Yeah I mean I didn't have a choice to be honest so I wanted to get a podium yeah it was good move. 

FIA Formula 3: Congratulations.