Ebrahim hoping to finish season on a high
Indian pilot in positive mood after praise from Force India's Vijay Mallya
Armaan Ebrahim is targeting a strong performance in Barcelona as
he bids to finish his season on a positive note following a
difficult weekend in Imola.
The 20-year-old Indian pilot has impressed with regular top ten
finishes so far this year, but suffered with car problems in Italy
and was unable to finish in either race. He insists the weekend is
not weighing too heavily on his mind, however, and is looking to
bounce back quickly at Barcelona - the final round of the year.
"Imola was a bad weekend for me, but there's no point dwelling
on it," he said philosophically. "I had a bit of bad luck, but it's
behind me and I'm not thinking about it - instead I'm just hoping
to finish the season on a high with a good result at Barcelona.
"These things happen, but as a racing driver you have to take
the positives - for example I set the tenth fastest time in free
practice one despite never having been to the circuit. It was
really frustrating for sure, but I know when things go well I am
able to challenge for a top ten berth, and I'm confident of
performing similarly in Barcelona."
Such confidence seems well-founded given Armaan's evident race
pace - on average he has has passed eight cars per race this year,
the most of any driver in the F2 field. Such performances have
attracted the attention of, among others, F1 Force India boss Vijay
Mallya, who recently listed Armaan as one of India's best young
prospects.
"It was a nice complement to hear my name mentioned by Vijay
Mallya," Armaan confessed. "I'm still very young, and hopefully I
can keep improving. I'm definitely keen to return next year, but I
want to impress and I'll be targeting podiums and race victories
for sure.
"One of the problems this year has been that all the circuits
were new to me. The competition is so high in Formula Two that
being just one second off in qualifying can leave you 17th or 18th
on the grid, so there's no margin for error - in some ways it is
even tougher than GP2 because of the closeness of the
field.
"Experience of the circuits certainly helps - for example my two
best qualifying results have come at Donington Park, a circuit I
have raced at before. Over the weekend I am able to learn the track
better, and I think that shows in my race pace. Hopefully
everything will come together in Barcelona and I can end my season
on a real positive."