Ferrari Challenge Europe rookie, Roman Ziemian, didn’t expect such a challenging debut. The Polish Octane 126 driver was surprised by the physical demands on drivers, also put to the test by this weekend's intense heat at Imola.
“I would never have thought a race could be so tough. After the halfway mark, I began counting the laps between me and the chequered flag because I was starting to run out of energy. I really admire the guys who have won the race, those who have finished in the top positions, and those who have been participating in this series for many years”.
Interviewed on the spot straight after Race-1, despite the physical effort he put in, Ziemian said couldn't wait to get back on track for Sunday's qualifying and race. His aim is clear: to become more familiar with the track and the car: "Unfortunately, qualifying didn't go well. I started by ending up off-track, in the gravel. We hadn't been able to prepare the car in half an hour, and I started qualifying a bit late. When I finally took to the track, after two laps in which I had barely finished warming up the tyres, the red flag came out, and we had to go back to the pit lane. We resumed after ten minutes and once again, as soon as we had finished warming up the tyres, there was another accident and a second red flag. And once again, we returned. At that point, I only had one lap left in which I didn’t clock the best of times”.