Estoril is his second appearance in the 2023 Ferrari Challenge after his debut at Misano, but for Marco Zanasi, “Ferrari is home”. “I’m a Maranello man, even more, but above all, I have known the Ferrari world all my life.” he tells us between practice runs at the Portuguese round. £My memories go back to 35 years to when I accompanied my father to the Prancing Horse headquarters, so it is both natural and special to be here.”
However, these are only your first races in the Ferrari Challenge.
“Yes. I started racing late, in other categories and championships, but this is my first try out with a real GT, even though I consider myself a gentlemen driver to all intents and purposes. At my age – I turned 52 last Thursday on the flight over – of course, I can’t think of having a career in Formula 1, but I enjoy racing. We’ll see how it goes, also with an eye on what to do next year.”
How do you like the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo?
“It’s a car that amazed me. I remember testing the 488 Challenge, and there’s been an incredible evolution. Until you drive it, you can’t fully realise it. It’s impressive in braking and traction. It’s powerful and very high-performance.”
You showed an excellent rapport with the car on the first day at Estoril. How did you find this iconic circuit on the Challenge’s first visit?
“Honestly, I thought I’d find the circuit worse than it is. From the outside, it looks very old-fashioned. It’s actually very technical, especially some corners. It’s pretty fast, with two lovely straights and a very long last corner. I have to say I like it very much, and my performance over these days, I think, confirms that, even though I’m always very self-critical.”
How do you find the Ferrari Challenge environment?
“It’s a fantastic experience, an incredible organisation: the hospitality is wonderful and the display of all the Ferrari models is certainly impressive. Then I should say that I know almost everyone in the Ferrari Challenge world, so I feel really at home with the organisation, the technicians and the other drivers.”