Pushing the team forward: Rodin Motorsport Pre-Season Round-Up

Rodin Motorsport ended the 2024 season in tremendous form, even achieving their maiden victory in the Championship at the Spa-Francorchamps Feature Race. So, the goal will be to carry that momentum into 2025.

That all started at last week’s Barcelona pre-season test and with 217 laps in the bank, it looks like Sam Waple’s team have made an impressive start to the campaign.

In the all-new Formula 3 car, Rodin started well on the opening morning of Day 1, as Callum Voisin led a 1-2-3 for the team ahead of new teammates Roman Bilinski and Louis Sharp.

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The trio followed that up in the afternoon by all placing inside the top 10, with Sharp in P3, Bilinski in P6 and Voisin in P9.

Team Manager Waple believes this is all down to their preparation done over the winter, to be ready for the new car, and with Voisin having ended the final day with the fastest time, there are plenty of positive feelings at Rodin heading to Melbourne.

“For us I think it was really positive,” said Waple. “We came here with a lot of prep done in the workshop from the team. The drivers also did a nice programme over the winter, so they came prepared and ready, so it was nice to just hit the ground running.

“There's an awful lot that we got through on our program. We know lots of other teams are running their own agendas and programs that they run through.

“But generally speaking, I feel like we were comfortable with what we were running, and the drivers were happy with it, so for us it's been a really good test.”

It was an intriguing test for all involved as with a new car, it means that all 10 teams started from scratch, collecting data, and learning more about the machinery with every lap that was banked.

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This is why Waple was delighted with how Rodin ran their test programme, despite how intense the three days were for his team.

“It doesn't come without its challenges,” he said of learning the new car. “Obviously, it's a big task for the entire team. The engineers and mechanics have to work together and make sure they are extracting everything they can, from the cars, so it’s a very intense test programme.

“It also means an awful lot of data analysis and going through all of that obviously. There are issues you have to deal with, but it's very normal for a new car. So, it's being prepared to catch that when it happens.

“But on the whole, it's been very impressive from Dallara to get them out when they did. We had plenty of time to be ready for the test and by and large they've all run pretty well. So, it's been good.”

A big part of Rodin’s optimism going into Melbourne is centred around their three drivers. They had their challenges, most notably Sharp who had a stop-start Day 3, but they were all impressive.

Bilinski did the most laps, with 219, followed by Voisin on 203, and Sharp on 187, and while they still feel there is plenty to do before Round 1, the early signs were positive.

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They were regulars near the front of the field on all three days but for Waple, his delight goes beyond that, focusing on how well they have been pushing each other.

“They are going very well,” he expressed. “I think this year we've got three exceptional drivers. They all come with different experience. Obviously, we've got a champion in Louis, a second year in Callum, and obviously a lot of experience in FRECA from Roman.

“So, I think they are all pushing each other very hard as well which helps. They are super competitive, and I think it helps drive the whole team forward. But I think the initial outlook is that we are quite confident going to Melbourne to at least kick the year off on a high.”

Prior to the test, Voisin had expressed his belief that he and Rodin could be up there fighting for wins. Speaking as things wrapped up in Barcelona, the 19-year-old’s confidence does not appear to have dwindled given how the three days went.

“It was pretty good,” said Voisin on the test. “It was really positive, we got through every test item we wanted to do. Obviously, there is still a lot more to find in the car and I think everybody else has also got a lot more to bring when it comes to Melbourne.

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“But for a start for us, it's been really good, especially when you compare it to this time last year and this time, we were much more positive.

“I think the team is working well together, and my teammates are pushing me very hard. Overall, very positive, but we've got to keep pushing to Melbourne.”