F2 rookie Louis is looking forward to Monaco street challenge

Switzerland’s Louis Delétraz will get his first taste of racing on Monaco’s famous street circuit this weekend when the Mediterranean principality hosts the third round of the 2017 FIA Formula 2 Championship.

As a venue that has hosted Grand Prix racing since 1929, Monaco is the most prestigious event on the F2 calendar and the 3.33km track is regarded as one of the toughest on which a driver can achieve success.

For Louis, a driver that has scored an impressive 39 wins during his junior formulae career, competing on Monaco’s famous street circuit will fulfill a long-held ambition.

“Monaco is the race that every driver wants to do and it will also be my first-ever street race,” he said. “That will really be something interesting and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how it feels to race between the buildings and walls. And to do all of this in an F2 car will be incredible. It’s almost the best type of car you can drive around Monaco.”

To ensure he’s fully prepared for the challenge that lies ahead, Louis has spent a number of days in his Racing Engineering team’s simulator learning all of lines, braking points and references that are required to be quick on the bumpy Monaco track.

With no previous experience at the circuit, Louis is expecting a challenging weekend. But he firmly believes he has the ability and the right team behind him to perform strongly this weekend.

“Coming to Monaco as a rookie is always quite difficult because there will be 15 or so other drivers that know the track and most of them will have driven it two or three times as well,” the reigning Formula V8 3.5 Championship runner-up explained. “That’s a bit of a negative but we’ve seen rookie’s doing well there in the past and I’m confident I can as well.

“If we put everything together and get rid of some of the bad luck that has left us frustrated in the last two races, I think we’ll have the pace to do something good this weekend.”

With only 45 minutes of Free Practice to get used to the Monaco track before the all-important 16-minute Qualifying session that will determine the grid for Friday morning’s Feature Race, Louis knows he’ll need to adjust quickly if he’s going to make a fast start and qualify in the top positions. He also knows he’ll need to be brave.

“Success in Monaco is really about having confidence in your car and having the belief in yourself that you can safely play with the limits on the track,” he explained. “You really need to be straight on it and be confident to do a good lap. But, at the same time, you can’t afford to crash. If you crash in Monaco, your weekend is almost over and your confidence has gone.”

Before the competition gets underway on the track, ADS Securities-supported Louis will kick off his race weekend by playing in HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco’s prestigious annual charity football match. Louis will join other F1 and F2 stars in a team that will take on the Prince’s All-Star team at Monaco FC’s Stade Louis II Stadium on Tuesday night.

But when Thursday’s Free Practice session comes around, Louis will be working to achieve his single most important objective on Monaco’s famous street circuit. “If you win in Monaco you make history,” he said. “Just like any other race, that will be my target this weekend.”

RACE RESULTS