Italia: Series Mugello summary

Mugello transforms the classification

Edoardo Piscopo (Team Ghinzani):

"The two races followed a very different script. This morning, due to an electric problem during the formation lap I had to start from the back and to score a recovery that gave me one point in the classification. In the second race I pushed hard but, despite getting closer to Bortolotti in the mixed part, in the main straight I was losing a bit and therefore it was impossible to strike a concrete attack."

Salvatore Cicatelli (BVM - Target Racing):

"This morning I run a good race and with a good overtaking I managed to get the better of Nava in the battle for the second place. In race two I lost two positions at the start and three at turn one. Afterwards it has been very difficult to try to recover, but the outcome of my weekend is still definitely positive."

Giovanni Nava (Lucidi Motors):

"I am really happy for the podium of race one, together with the fourth position obtained this afternoon it allows me to get on the fourth place of the classification. To be right behind some drivers with much more experience than me is a good result, that I want to improve in the second part of the season."

Gabriele Lucidi (Lucidi Motors, Team Manager):

"In the eight races run so far our team has always finished with at least a driver on the podium and in even two in five occasions. Bortolotti obtained today the leadership of the classification, confirming our competitiveness despite the technical changes introduced this year. With the third place obtained this morning Nava proved to continue his growth. Castellacci deserves to be acknowledged since he raced feverish."

Angelo Corbetta (Team Minardi by Corbetta, Team Principal):

"After the good result achieved by Zipoli in the first free practice we did not manage to be as competitive as is our objectives. We come back to our headquarters unsatisfied by well determined to work to fill the gap that at the moment separates ourselves from the opponents and to come back to our levels."

Moreno Leonardi (Europa Corse, Team Manager):

"Our work restarted with the development of the car and the growth of our drivers. Keeping this in mind our weekend can be considered fairly positive. Prandi and Giulio Glorioso showed progresses in their lap times while Federico Glorioso gave some good feedback to the engineers of the team."

Fabio Pampado (RP Motorsport):

"We are not very satisfied by our performances that fell short of expectations. Some satisfaction came from the double victory in the CSAI Trophy even if Auby's participation is just for this event only."

The weekend just concluded at Mugello marked the end of the first part of the 2008 edition of the Italian Formula 3 Championship.

The opening round raced on the 11th of May on the Tuscan track saw Edoardo Piscopo (Team Ghinzani) absolute ruler, while this weekend has been dominated in a similar way (apart from the best lap of race two) by Mirko Bortolotti (Lucidi Motors) who is now at the head of the classification.

Piscopo, after an electric problem in race one, pushed hard for the whole second manche trying to attack Bortolotti's leadership but he never managed to score a real attack to the opponent.

The rookies Salvatore Cicatelli (BVM-Target Racing) and Giovanni Nava (Lucidi Motors) came to the fore today and completed race one's podium, while Nico Verdonck (RP Motorsport), Alessandro Cicognani (Team Ghinzani) and Marco Zipoli (Minardi Team by Corbetta Competizioni) finished within points.

In the CSAI National Trophy, the South African driver Jimmy Auby (RP Motorsport) won both races, followed by Angelo Fabrizio Comi (Team Ghinzani).

The next round of the Italian Formula 3 championship is scheduled for the 31st of August on the track of Varano de'Melegari (PR).

Mirko Bortolotti (Lucidi Motors):

"The victory in race two has been more difficult than the morning one. The track was very dirty and a minimal mistake would have been enough to lose the leadership. I kept my concentration to the maximum because I longed this double victory that allows me to be at the lead of the classification. We are anyway still at half of the season and we will have to keep on working with the same intensity till the end."

-credit: f3 italia