— How did your Silk Road begin? What emotions do you feel after the halfway point?
– We first discussed with Sergey (Karyakin) and the team that a certain stability and sports results can appear only after passing a certain milestone. And the course for us is 50% of the race. For me, the race is ten days of fighting and two days of testing – a new format, including in terms of psychological preparation, physical strength, because the conditions on the track leave little strength after the finish.
Exceptionally, of course, when there are such high temperatures in the cabin and on the street, and the car cannot cope with them, the gasoline runs out before the finish line. But I always take everything I do seriously. I came here to work for the result, as I have done since the age of five in motorsport. Yes, there is nervousness, but it’s more in things unrelated to the racing process itself.
– Which stage was the most difficult for you?
– Every day has its own characteristics. At the beginning, the navigation instruments did not work for us, and as a beginner, it was very difficult for me. On the second stage, the car suddenly stalled, the rescue mode activated, we stopped 15 times on the track. On the third day, everything went well, but the petrol ran out in the finish area and we had to push the car 50 meters. On Monday the brakes failed, the car was being repaired after the hub was damaged in the dunes. Every day is an adrenaline rush, but the most difficult stage is ahead of me.
— Are you ready for a marathon when you have to repair the car at the bivouac with your own hands?
– Sure. We spent many days in tests, part of the training was devoted to repair work. If in Formula 1 you have a hundred people who can help you, and you only focus on racing, then in rally raid repairs are part of your job.
— Do you think you have a special attitude towards yourself on the Silk Road, because you are a former Formula 1 driver?
— I suppose the attention is heightened. One way or another, Formula 1 is a sport that I have been playing for 18 years. And not just me alone, but also a lot of guys who couldn’t make it. They don’t call her the “race queen” for nothing. And on the Silk Road I am the only former Formula 1 driver, and the desire of rivals to overtake me is quite logical, it shows.
– Does the expression “former Formula 1 driver” shock you?
– Does not deform. I think we have to call things by their proper names. No wonder there are only 20 places and 10 teams in Formula 1 for drivers. I don’t have a valid contract. When I crossed the 2022 line, I got it. And it’s usually an amazing situation in the entire history of the show, when you have a contract before New Year’s and then you lose it.
But I’m all for honesty, I used to call a spade a spade. I focus on the fact that there are great opportunities to get a contract in Formula 1 in the future. I am 23 years old, if you look at my results in Formula 3 and Formula 2, then with time and experience I make a much bigger leap than my rivals. And based on this experience, I look to the future with confidence.
– Fernando Alonso recently participated in the Dakar Rally. Did you communicate with him before the Silk Road trip?
– Probably, thanks to Fernando’s performance, I became familiar with the Dakar. It was interesting for me to see how someone performing on asphalt would compete off-road. During one of the Formula 1 driver parades, I asked him if he liked rally raids. And Fernando replied that he would like to come back.
In June, I participated in the Ladoga Trophy on a quad, now I race on an all-terrain vehicle. I like it, it’s what I would like to do in my free time from Formula 1, if I have a contract with the team, or another type of work time.
– Will there be a Dakar in your career?
I’ve been thinking about it since January, maybe it will become a reality. Participation in the most difficult race in Russia – the Silk Road – will make its own adjustments, I will have a lot of experience. There are 10 days of racing here, in Dakar, if I’m not mistaken, there will be 14.
– Which of the Formula 1 drivers reacted to your decision to take part in the rally? Did you try to deter?
— Recently at SPIEF, I named the runners who expressed their support to me, and they received mixed feedback from people. I can say, without naming names, that all the colleagues in the shop with whom I communicate supported me in my decision.
– Andrey Karginov arrived at the bivouac in total darkness. Have you trained in similar conditions?
– I’m ready for everything. I understood that there would be no comfort zone here, and every day brings new surprises that were not in training. I rode my mountain bike at night in the mountains, but I don’t think such an experience will help me in rallying. There is a very important point: you are given time to complete the stage, and if you finish the stage in the dark, then you are not falling into the norm.
If you look at our cars, apart from the small factory-fitted headlights, there is no additional lighting. I asked the guys why they didn’t put them on. They answered me: “Since you finish in the night, you already get a fine, and all that remains is to drive quietly to the bivouac, saving the car.”
— There are a lot of older riders in the rally-raids. Do you admit that you will perform until 60-65 for fun?
– Age is above all experience, especially in the job of navigator. I have a life, just like you, and I would like to do what I love and what makes me happy. And I never liked lying on the couch and playing a PlayStation in a simulator. And I don’t think I’ll ever like it in the future.
So if off-road racing continues to give me pleasure, which I’m betting on, then why not? If I go through the physical dimensions and get in the car… There’s no age limit in this sport (laughs).
Do you follow the Formula 1 championship?
– I am involved. I watched the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, I tried to watch all the races I broadcast. Sometimes it was not possible to see the stages due to testing, as they also took place at the weekend. I like Formula 1 a lot, but now I analyze more, I share my thoughts with a narrow circle of people. An outside look is also an experience.
– At what stage are the proceedings against Haas?
— My personal demands are in full swing. We have already chosen the jurisdiction – this is the place where the contract was signed, in Switzerland. The lawyers have completed all the documents, the claim has been filed for review. If they call me, I will participate, but I think that will not happen now.
Source : MatchTV
