Aleshin: "I haven't lost the championship yet"
Russian aiming for victories in Imola
Mikhail Aleshin heads into Imola this weekend knowing that Andy
Soucek could well seal the 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship, but
the Russian pilot insists attack will be the best form of
defence.
Aleshin currently lies second to Soucek in the championship, but
having taken his maiden win last time out at Oschersleben he is
refusing to give up hope until the title is mathematically out of
his reach.
"I haven't lost the championship yet," Aleshin declared. "For
sure it is very difficult, but whilst there is still a small chance
I'll give 100% in every session. Racing has a habit of springing
surprises, so all I can do is push as hard as possible and see what
happens. It's hard, but it's not impossible!
"To be honest, my main target is to win races - that's the point
of being a racing driver, and it's what I'll be trying to do all
weekend. It'll also be the best way to stop Soucek if I can win,
but rather than focus on another driver my focus has to be on
myself and my own championship this weekend."
The Red Bull-backed driver also believes that, as the season
draws to a close, it will be more important than ever to finish in
the points. "Consistency has been important over the course of the
season," he explained, "but now with only four races left it is
crucial to be racing at the front end of the grid.
"As I say I will keep pushing in the championship, but I also
have to keep second place. There isn't much to separate the five or
six drivers challenging for second, so there's still
everything to fight for. I want to finish in the top three for
obvious reasons, but it would also be great to qualify for an FIA
Superlicence because I would be the first Russian to ever do
so."
Aleshin will hope to start his weekend on a good note
when the first free practice session at Imola commences tomorrow
(18 September) at 09.00 CET. Live timing and live text updates will
be available throughout the weekend.