Azerbaijan’s promising young Formula 3 driver: Winning FG1000 race means a lot to me

Baku, February 24, AZERTAC AZERTAC presents an interview of Gulhuseyn Abdullayev, Azerbaijan’s promising young Formula 3 driver and the Official Ambassador for the 2016 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE. -Winning the race in Formula Gulf 1000 - what does it mean for you? -Winning FG1000 race means a lot to me. In the first place it means positive feedback at the start of the season and it is an integral part for my formula career. Starting the season with the victory made everyone, who support me, happy. -What is the difference between Formula Gulf 1000 and European Formula 3 cars that you will drive this season? -There are lots of different factors between the 2 different types of cars. I have never driven a GP3 car before, so I can only compare F3 to FG1000 cars. F3 car is faster and stiffer than FG1000. The FG1000 felt too soft after the F3 car. The steering and brakes of the FG1000 are lighter when you compare it to F3. -How is your preparation for the season going? -Preparations for the season are going well. We have finished the pre-season testing successfully and are ready for the winter testing. As for the physical training, it is also going good.. -Who is your favorite F1 driver? Why? -My favorite driver of all time is Ayrton Senna. Although he hasn’t really succeeded in the most of the competitions, but his style of winning those 3 championships was very dramatic and fun. He is still considered to be the best among all the drivers. I would also like to highlight his off-the-track such as charity – helping the people of Brazil. -What is your target for the upcoming season? -My target for the upcoming season is to get the maximum experience and take place at the podium in rookie classes. The only disadvantage I have is a lack of experience in Formula cars, but, of course, I will do my best. -Who is your main rival this season? What could you say about Euro Formula 3 grid this year? -This year’s EuroFormula Open championship is very tough. Some of the best FIA Formula Three teams will be joining this championship – the show is going to be interesting. In my opinion, rivals who will be competing for the first time this year can also be considered as my rivals. -What is your favorite track (except Baku City Circuit. of course)? -My favorite track is Spa - Francorchamps and it is located in Belgium. It is my favourite because of the Eau Rouge and its length. -What are your feelings about Baku City Circuit? How do you think what is the most challenging part of circuit? -My opinion is that BCC will be very fun and challenging both for GP2 and Formula 1 drivers. Especially corners 8 and 9 will be very cool to watch. You have to also consider the winds of Baku which could spoil the downforce of the cars and will make it difficult to go faster in the corners. -What would you like to say your fans which still thinking about visiting Grand Prix of Europe? -I would like to say that BCC is the second longest track after Spa in the calendar and being a street race will make it much more interesting than anticipated. I am looking forward for this race and I believe that this track will be one of the legendary tracks in the F1 history. -General question - what is racing for you? -Racing means life to me. We race not just on tracks, but in our lives, too. We race against the time, everyone wants to do everything they desire in their life. So, racing is life. But professional racing is one of the few things that I’ve been doing for a long time and I don’t get bored simply because love it. The adrenaline I get when I drive fast and compete with other guys is indescribable and only driving of racing car makes me love this sport. Another main factor is injury risks. Race-car-drivers are the ones who face serious even fatal injuries and still get in their cars and race. It takes a lot of courage which allows people respect us even more. -What was you idol in childhood? -Michael Schumacher was my idol ever since I was a kid. Watching his victories live made me feel good and support him. It was very nice to watch him make history live. Actually evidencing Schumacher become 7 times F1 champ, Sebastien Loeb 9 times WRC champ and Valentino Rossi 7 times MotoGP champ makes me feel so lucky. Not everyone is lucky enough to spectate all these victories live.