After returning, with good taste, to Formula 2 this year, Roberto Merhi He enjoyed a new experience in a kartcross as he clarified his future, which will happen, “certainly”, when he returns to Japan with SuperGT.
At the age of 31, the driver from Benicàssim discovered kartcross at the ‘Cathedral’ of autocross, the José Ramón Losada de Arteixo circuit, in A Coruña, where he spoke to EFE “stuck in the mud, enjoying a different weekend”. .
That was his baptism in the land of A Coruña, where he shared the stage with Álex Palou, 2021 IndyCar champion and McLaren reserve in F1 next year.
In Arteixo his goal is to have a “good time” and “discover” a new experience after missing out in 2021.
“They invited me last year, but I was in Australia and I couldn’t go, they invited me again this year and I said: ‘here’ I will go”he admitted to EFE.
Said and done, he went to Arteixo and was one of the first to rise to get behind the wheel of his car as soon as possible in a season where he returned to F2 in a short-lived but successful way, with a spectacular return to Austria which lifted him to the third drawer of the podium, although he later experienced other problems.
“In F2 I did a few races, but very well, especially the first one. Then I had a few more problems, but overall I felt pretty good,” he commented.
In total, he contested six races for Campos Racing after also competing in the Japanese Super GT with an Audi R8. In 2023, it will be seen in the Asian country.
“The most likely thing is that I go back to Japan to try to have a good season”he said when talking about future challenges in a sport where “the seats” of Formula 1, 2 or Indy “are very expensive.”
“You have to try to do it well and find a good place,” said the man from Castellón, who in Formula 1 drove for Marussia in 2015 after being a reserve for Caterham a year earlier. He doesn’t miss that stage too much: “If I have a competitive car, yes, but if not, no. In the end, you have to have a good car to be first.”
A car like the one driven by Carlos Sainz from Madrid, who achieved this season his first victory in Formula 1.
“Carlos has the car to fight for the podium in every race. He had bad luck this year, but the result was good, especially in qualifying,” he said.
Merhi predicted that in 2023 the battle will again be between Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes, and considers that the German team “will be stronger” than the campaign that just ended, led by Dutchman Max Verstappen .
The grid of motorsport’s premier class has undergone changes such as that of Fernando Alonso, who will drive for Aston Martin after completing his time at Alpine. He does not see the two-time Formula 1 champion still fighting to be on the podium in his new phase.
“It will take a bit for them to reach the level because the car is a bit far from the favorites. I don’t have much uncertainty with Fernando, people suppose so, but I know what is there. Obviously, people expect him to make podiums, but the realistic thing is to see him behind Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari,” said Merhi.
For him, “Aston Martin’s goal is the fourth team, so Fernando went there.”
A few meters from Palou in Arteixo, Merhi explained that the Barcelonan “did very good free practice and a great job” for McLaren this season, which helped him become a tester for the team next year, a Valencian role. year ago
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
