Gianni Morbidelli: “The rain made my podium possible”

Gianni Morbidelli made the most out of the first race of the day in Imola, finishing second from eighth on the grid. The Audi Sport Italia driver spoke to TouringCarTimes about the race and his expectations for the coming events.
“Without the rain, it would not have been possible to get to the finish in second”, admitted the former F1 driver.

“The car just doesn’t have the same pace as the Mercedes, and we can’t even match the BMWs. This is the consequence of the Balance of Performance, which made my car heavier and, most notably, higher, and this has completely changed the balance of the car. On top of that, I must highlight the straight line speed difference between me and the Mercedes, which was even more evident today, during the race.”

Morbidelli did not agree with the decision to start under the Safety Car, therefore depriving him of laps which could have been precious for his mission of climbing through the field:
“It was completely useless to do those laps behind the Safety Car, it just made the race shorter. We knew the track was wet and had the chance to get a taste of its grip during the pre-grid laps. The conditions were right to start straight away, and I found myself with an 18-minutes race to try and catch up instead of 25 plus one lap.”

Morbidelli is still happy with the outcome of the race after gaining seven positions.
“It is an important step in the championship, also considering that Thomas Biagi did not finish the race. It was a fun race, it is exciting to drive in these conditions, which are not easy and always keep you on the edge, it is very easy to make a mistake. I always have fun driving and being in a car, but these conditions are particularly entertaining for me, despite the dangers.”

With the second race in Imola surely starting on a wet track Morbidelli could increase the gap from Biagi in the championship, but the Audi Sport Italia driver is under no illusion and feels he needs to stay focused for the remaining races of the championship.
“I don’t see us as the favorites for the championship, each race has its own story and we must not relax. We just need to bag as many points as possible and then do the maths in Vallelunga, the last race.”