Felix Rosenqvist: The arguably most experienced driver on the Championship grid

Felix Rosenqvist (kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport) is the arguably most experienced driver on the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship grid. Therefore, he has got just one goal: to secure the European Championship title. Last year, the Swede finished runner-up behind European Champion Raffaele Marciello (Prema Powerteam). The first two race weekends of the new season proved to be somewhat difficult, for the 22-year-old but this weekend at Pau, he celebrated his first race win in 2014.

What is your interim conclusion with nine races contested? I expected to make a better start into the season but I had a lot of bad luck and also made mistakes, every now and then. Therefore, I’m particularly delighted with finally having secured my first race win of the season, in Pau. Now I will try to reduce the gap to the leaders step by step as giving up isn’t an option, for me. After all, the 2013 season demonstrated that closing a big gap is possible.

Why did you opt for contesting another FIA Formula 3 European Championship season? For outsiders, seeing me spending another year in Formula 3 certainly must look somewhat strange. But I think that the FIA Formula 3 European Championship is a very good series and that contesting another season, here, makes sense for me. The competitiveness is extremely high and even experienced drivers can learn this or that. I don’t think that there are a lot of series on our planet offering these possibilities.

What makes the FIA Formula 3 European Championship special, from your point of view? Actually, the FIA Formula 3 European Championship is very well organised in every area. The scrutineering, for instance, is that good that nobody tries to enter illegal cars. And the extraordinary significance of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship is underlined by the fact young-driver programmes of different manufacturers – such as Mercedes-Benz, Lotus or Ferrari – let their drivers contest this series.

What was your reason for keeping on racing for Team kfzteile24 Mücke Motorsport? I think that doing so was the most reasonable option. This team offered me the opportunity to win races in the past and I know that we will be able to also do so in 2014.

Could you please describe your expectations regarding the 2014 season? Having been vice-champion last year, my only goal can be to win the FIA Formula 3 European Championship title.

What circuits on the 2014 calendar are you particularly looking forward to? Unfortunately, my favourite circuit, Zandvoort, isn’t on the calendar, this year. From the circuits we are going to race at, this season, the Red Bull Ring is my favourite racetrack. But I also look forward to the Hungaroring I have driven on for the first time during the official pre-season tests.

What did you do in the off-season to prepare for the things to come? I had some bad luck with minor injuries caused by overstrains of my knee and my neck. Therefore, finding the right sport sometimes wasn’t too easy. A sport that is completely new to me and was discovered by me just this winter is cross-country skiing. I even contested the 90-kilometre ‘Vasaloppet’, a very popular cross-country skiing event in Sweden. I said to myself: “If 16,000 cross-country skiers are able to contest this race I also am able to do so.” The race was tough but I made it to the finish line.

FIA F3