Boya: “The next two years are where you have to stand and it doesn’t matter what you’ve done before”

The Formula 3 season is coming to an end and it means a game of seats at an extreme level so that the youngest drivers can follow their dream of becoming great motorsport stars. This is the case of Mari Boya (April 13, 2004, Les, Spain). The pilot of MP Motorsport He closed his first season in the category with a podium and his goal is nothing more than to fight for the title next year. To do this, he needs to take everything he learned this rookie season and raise the bar a step higher. As he said in a conversation with MD, he is very confident after a good debut and knows that in a world as competitive as motorsports, time is of the essence. It is a race against time in which only the privileged few emerge victorious.

First of all, congratulations on the podium achieved in the Italian GP sprint race. how do you feel

The truth is that I am very happy. I have raced for a few races and felt that we had the pace with the team and we just had to make it a reality. It was nice to achieve that podium in Monza even though I also feel that victory almost eluded me.

Has a weight been lifted off your shoulders or are you not looking for it too much?

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I took it off because I saw that the races were going by and my pace was going but the podiums weren’t coming. Either because I was left behind or because a qualifying lap was canceled or because there was traffic and my weekend was complicated. I knew Monza was coming, the last race to achieve this and it’s a circuit I love. After the summer break, which was good for me to relax a little, we came back stronger

What was the jump from shining in karts to moving to formulas?

I’m happy with my move because it’s like starting over Listening and learning again. You have to lower your ego because one thing has nothing to do with the other. Especially when braking and accelerating while driving in low gear. If I tell you that the first tests I did with single-seaters I couldn’t stop spinning. The throttle is very aggressive and you have to be more progressive and straighten the steering wheel.

What impressed you the most when you took that leap?

As you move up the formula categories, I always say that what impresses you the most is how quickly you get to the corner because of the amount of aerodynamic elements you incorporate and the level of brakes that allow you to pass around the corner faster. Then the reference changes and the car has a lot of grip which allows the turn to be done faster. You compare yourself to F1 on the other hand and we braked at Monza a little more than the 150 sign and they did it at 120 more or less but going 60km/h faster than us.

And we enter the other race off track: the lack of support and the importance of money in a world as competitive as motorsports. What do you think and how do you deal with it all?

I have been studying at CAR in Sant Cugat for five years and I have met many athletes. The engine section works and I’ve made a lot of friends with Moto3 and Moto2 riders. And when you compare a single-seater to a motorcycle it is completely different. Most of the Moto3 riders already have a salary that they earn and we have to find sponsors.

I come from a very humble family. I was taught from a young age that work comes first. They always tell me to study or work at home. Because they grew up that way. They started with a fruit shop, now they have a supermarket and gas station. My uncle is a person who works 365 days a year, especially in August because it is high season. And I appreciate all this because in part they do it so I can pursue my dream.

It is true that from Formula 3 or Formula 2 it is easier to get sponsors because the visibility is greater. But to get to that point we are talking about a very high cost…

We are talking about a million euros in F3… or are we short?

It depends on the driver, it varies a lot and depends on what you agree on in a team. but perfect

And do you notice the lack of support? Do you feel you have at most one or two seasons to showcase my talent?

Is that it? In the end, in this sport we know that in the next two, three years you have to stand out and it doesn’t matter what you’ve done in karting because the visibility is low you don’t have sponsorship. That’s why you need sponsorship now until a Formula 1 team comes along and makes the path easier for you.

And how do you deal with that pressure against the clock?

I don’t try to think too much. It’s kind of annoying to think that if you don’t do it well, your dream will end and you’ll be the only one with it. I’m focused on what I have to do on the weekend. When it’s over, I have conversations with the family to explain what it is, when things don’t work … I know what it is but there are a lot of things to think about, like setting up car , etc. Thinking about the things I’m leaving behind.

True, but ultimately it still has an influence because purchasing power also plays a major role. People think F3 is the same and not at all…

In the end, the team with the most cache will ask for the most budget. The team is playing with the three drivers they have: having one that pays, another that is very good to try to go for the championship and if they can have one that pays better for them. The pilot’s role is completely different: to maximize performance. And that’s something F1 teams appreciate. That means, you already know that there are three teams that if they don’t get first it’s because they’re doing something wrong and if they’re at the top it’s normal. And they really appreciate the fact to see a team that has never done anything but a driver achieve great results with them.

What is the main difference compared to teams with bigger budgets?

In my experience it is the level of engineers. F3 does very good things like test times, which are very short and you can’t practice anything on the car you’re driving. It is true that drivers with more money try GP3, the car before F3. Basically it’s useless to you in terms of configurations but when it comes to driving as a driver it’s a pretty similar car. And if you haven’t ridden much with F3 in the tests, which last year was in Jerez for three days and then five months in Bahrain, if you haven’t ridden much in GP3, it’s harder for the driver to come ready If another driver has done 25 days of testing to tell you something in GP3, it also makes a difference.

That’s not your case, is it?

No no. In the winter, luckily the team reached a good agreement and I was able to do Asia in January and February. I’m not going to complain because I didn’t stay at home, but of course it’s Regional Formula. But when it comes to comparison it has nothing to do with it. To give us an idea, in Barcelona they were about seven seconds slower.

And then what is planned for the future?

Well, in the middle of the season the transfer market starts and some drivers move up to F2 and others look for other paths because they don’t really stand out. Now at the end of the season everything is closed because in a month the tests will start in Jerez and that’s normal. I haven’t signed up for next year but it’s something to finalize in the coming weeks. I have two options that I really like and we are negotiating this week.

Could you give us some hints about these options? (laughs)

Obviously one of the options on the table is to continue with the team I’m currently with, MP Motorsport.

And the sporting goal after this first season?

I would say that I did very well in the category. Even from the second race in Melbourne the pace was very good. I think with the experience I have gained this season, I believe and hope that I will fight for the championship if I have a good car. This year I’m a beginner but I know that in some races we didn’t get the set-up right. Yes, it’s true that there were races where I had the car but I didn’t finish because I had an accident, or I was cut out of laps in quali because of track limitations and I started too far back. You want to get on the podium or win races, which helps you.

That jump, for example, happened to Pepe Martí this second year. Does it follow that example?

The truth is that Pepe has been the surprise of the season. Especially in the Jerez tests, which are a month after the last race. I came as a rookie and finished ninth but Pepe didn’t drop into the top four every day. I was surprised because I watched the races and you saw him struggling in the back. But I know he is more relaxed this year and more confident in himself. We talk a lot because later we both grew up in karts. Both he and the Campos team made mistakes.

Despite the good vibes he says, in the end you all fight for a goal that is very difficult to reach…

Apart from the economic, what is the margin to notice?

Next year should be a very good year for me to jump into F2, which is huge. If you notice, in F3 there are three or four drivers with the F1 team, but in F2 almost all of you are sponsored. We should stand this past year in F3, hopefully attract attention and get a place in F2.

I don’t think much of that. I prefer to concentrate on the half year left in the Eurocup and the F3 tests for next season

And about the future. I don’t know if it opens up more options for him that other drivers like Palou or Albert Costa are succeeding in events other than F1 …

Let’s say my big goal is F1 and for that I have to do well next year in F3 and the next. This is for F1. Later I knew that there is another path, where there is a second chance to have a dream to live from our passion. Obviously I want to be an F1 driver but there is an option to make a living doing what I am passionate about. Wherever they call me, I have no preference.