DSC is checking in with 18-year-old Londoner Alessandro Latif after each round of the Blancpain Sprint Series to get an insight into his first full season of GT racing, sharing the #5 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 with 2012 GT1 World Champion Marc Basseng.
Circuit Zolder in Belgium is the penultimate round of the Sprint Series this year, and is another circuit which Latif hadn’t driven at before. It’s a small, narrow circuit with a surrounding forest; it’s picturesque with an old school feel and it provided a real challenge for he and Basseng, who struggled to find the right setup all weekend long. They finished 15th in both the Qualifying and Main Race, but won the Pro-Am Trophy in the process, leaving them pressure free going into the final round at Baku.
“It’s a really nice track, with huge braking zones,” Latif told DSC. “That’s one of the reasons I’ve struggled, the brakes were completely gone sometimes, we lost all performance because it’s so tough on the brakes. Managing that is going to be key here.”
Qualifying was therefore difficult for Alessandro and Marc, as they struggled to match the pace of those who made the third part of the session, leaving them 22nd on the packed grid of 25 entries. Just over a second covered the top 18 in the session, there really was no margin for error.
Latif, Basseng and the Phoenix crew were relying on a strong race pace to give them a chance at a decent pair of results.
“We knew it was going to be very tight. I had a good lap on my first run and got up to P13 and then as soon as the second set of tyres went on I lost all grip. A small little issue of that can and did cost us a good spot in Qualifying.
“We have always had race pace, but in qualifying this season as a whole really, we have never been able to get that performance which the rest have. But in the race people seem to drop off pace-wise and the whole field evens out so I’m confident we will do well in the two races.”
Unfortunately, the race pace Latif and the team had hoped for didn’t come to fruition, and both drivers found themselves unable to challenge the cars ahead, leaving them frustrated and outside the top 10. They did finish in front of the GT Russia Team Mercedes in the Pro-Am class however, putting them on the fringes of securing the title.
Latif was in the Audi for the first half of the race, and handed off to Basseng under safety car conditions when the window opened.
“The lights went green at the start while I was going around the last corner, the run to the start finish line isn’t that long so it was really hectic,” he explained. “I was behind the Team Brasil BMW of (Mattius) Stumpf and (Nelson Jnr) Piquet and there was nowhere to go, as Marc (Basseng) said we were just struggling for raw pace, as we have been all weekend. We are still trying to work it out, we need to be more aggressive on the tyres and use all the grip we have.
“We aren’t using our tyres enough, thats where we think people are gaining on us. It’s just luck from the start and push as hard as you can.”
As the race wore on, the racing started to get more hectic, with drivers finding it hard to be patient. But Latif explains that the team kept of the wars because the car wasn’t quick enough to keep them in any scraps.
“I was fortunate enough to be driving before it got to the point where people start to get frustrated and feel the need to make any risky moves. I didn’t get frustrated, neither did Marc because he wasn’t ever close enough to the car in front. People are likely to get frustrated in the main race even more.”
The second race was much the same for the Latif. He drove in the second half of the race and was unable to challenge those around him once again. But by finishing first in class, he and Basseng won the title. Both were thrilled, and look forward to making the trip to Azerbaijan without having to worry about the championship.
“I was just in no position to do anything again,” Latif said frustrated. “I got stuck behind an SLS which was much slower than me throughout my stint, I just couldn’t find a way past. It was tough, and when I did get through, the pack in front led by Alex Zanardi was just too far in front for me to catch them, so we settled for 15th.”
“Obviously winning a championship in anything is good though, and it means we have less pressure going into Baku, so we can attack and push as hard as possible to get good results. I’m really proud of what Marc and I have achieved this season.”
The finale of the Sprint Series is on the streets of Baku, an event Latif has been looking forward to all year. “I really like street circuits usually, I can’t wait to see what it’s like. It looks like a cool place to drive at, should be a great end to the year,” he said smiling.
“I find that because there’s no margin for error, and because you’re really close to the walls it means you get that extra sense of speed, and if you do a perfect lap it gives you that extra bit of desire to push harder. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Stephen Kilbey
