Meeting up with Andrea Bertolini (Spirit of Race Ferrari n°51)

Q: You will race a Ferrari at the home of Italian motorsport, how much does it mean to you?

“I’m very proud and honoured when I have the chance to race in my country. Monza is one of the temples of the whole motorsport and obviously racing there is always very special. I also love the other tracks in Italy: Imola is very special for me and the same is for Mugello, which is owned by Ferrari. Monza for sure it’s something special because it is a superfast track with almost no equal in the world, but everybody knows Monza and loves it. I have to say that I would have a proper advantage over my competitors only if we organize a race at Fiorano track…”

Q: Will home support give you and the other Italian drivers an advantage?

“Racing in Italy is always special for me. When we are in Italy we can feel the support from our fellow compatriots. Having said that, I have to be honest and say that racing for Ferrari gives you the advantage of feeling at home anywhere in the world because everywhere there are some Ferrari tifosi. And this is great.”

Q: While the ELMS has raced in Italy for the past few seasons this will be the first visit to Monza by the series for nearly 10 years.  Do you think it is a good move to bring the ELMS to race at Monza?

“I don’t care in a special way where you race when you come to Italy. The most important thing is to have an ELMS race here. As drivers we want to feel the support from our home people and we feel it in every Italian circuit. I think having an ELMS race in Italy is the key because we are still building an Endurance culture on the motorsport fans in this country and we cannot interrupt this process now…”

Q: What is your favourite part of the Monza track?

“Monza track is very special because there are not many corners but since it is a superfast track you need to be perfect in each one. With a GT car, you cannot put a foot wrong in order to carry as much speed as you can out of the corners. I like very much the Lesmo corners, the Serraglio and the Ascari chicane. Exiting that corner, you must be perfect in order to carry speed in the straight opposite to the main one. Parabolica too is fantastic, even if in last years has become easier because of the asphalt run-off area.”