UMBRIA-BASED RACER RELIES ON HIS FAMOUS TEAM-MATES TO REBOUND FOR A SUCCESSFUL SEASON ENDING
Christian Fittipaldi, Johnny Herbert, Christian Klien and Mika Salo are some pretty tough team-mate to catch-up with, but Mauro Cesari has found an exciting environment this season at Maserati, lining-up alongside four former F.1 drivers. The Spoleto-based racer is off for what he expects to be a positive season ending in his fifth year in SUPERSTARS.
After having lined-up with a new team and car combination, he entered the 2012 season behind the wheel of a Swiss Team-prepared Maserati Quattroporte, with the sister car welcoming some of the most important names in racing. So far his best result has been a sixth-place finish at Mugello but it's now time for Mauro to aim for more top-results. He told us something more about his expectations while he's currently spending his summer break taking care of his business ventures and relaxing in vacation.
If 2009 had been my best season ever - told Cesari - with the third place in points scored with the CAAL Racing BMW, the 2010-2011 stint has been one to forget for me, with a lot of issues and retirements. This season has been an unique experience so far. Having such great drivers as my team-mates has been an additional challenge. The team is top-notch and the car handles great despite the fact that it's really demanding to drive. It's the driver that makes the difference here, hot the engine, as you need to push to the limit in every circumstance. I can assure that it's not an easy thing to do, especially without a lot of testing.
What are Cesari's expectations for the closing stint of the season? My goal is now to improve in qualifying, which is a weak spot for me. The fact of having my fastest laps always set in Race 2 is a further proof of how I can get faster and faster with practice and I can manage to be close to the pro drivers. Now I'm really having fun. Results apart, at Mugello I was able to fight with the Mercedes of Liuzzi and fend off the attacks of Kristoffersson and his Audi.
In addition to the rival teams, Mauro had some great team-mates to compare with They are just sensational. They jump in the car and can reach the limit in a couple of laps. But they have also been really helpful and easy-going, helping me to improve and always push harder. Who's been the most impressive? With no doubt, Salo, but Herbert has been fantastic especially from an human standpoints. He's the ideal team-mate!.
