Felix Rosenqvist dominated proceedings as the new-for-2014 FA1 championship reached Monza this weekend, blitzing the field to hand Team Sweden a spectacular clean-sweep of victories at the Italian Grand Prix venue.
F3 regular Rosenqvist installed himself firmly at the top of the timesheets in Friday’s two free practice sessions, and would never look back. After storming to Team Sweden’s maiden pole position in the subsequent qualifying session, the 22-year-old ran away from his rivals to win the first race of the weekend comfortably ahead of FA1 full-campaigners Nigel Melker (Team Netherlands) and Mirko Bortolotti (Team Italy).
Rosenqvist, however, had more to come – putting on a remarkable comeback drive in Sunday’s 45-minute Race 2. After spinning in the early stages, the Swede appeared to be out of contention as he dropped to the back of the field, only for an extraordinary display of race craft allowing him to fight his way back into the lead – and storm to a 13-second victory ahead of Melker.
To further underline the extent of his pace advantage, Rosenqvist set the fastest lap in each of the two races, being almost a second clear of his rivals on the Race 2 charts. The Monza triumphs mark the first-ever FA1 wins for the Team Sweden operation.
“It’s been a fantastic weekend, and it’s great to be racing for your country like this,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “The team has done a superb job and the car has been a pleasure to drive all weekend. Already in free practice, I knew we were going to be quick; the balance was there straight out of the box, and I could focus on fine-tuning my driving instead of chasing set-up directions all the time. That’s exactly how it’s supposed to be, and that’s how you win races. This is the level we are at when things run like we want them to, and the second race was extra memorable! Big thanks to the team and to the organisers for having me this weekend.”
A review of the Monza FA1 round will be broadcast on MotorsTV on Tuesday 17 June.
For further information on FA1, please visit www.acceleration14.com.