Photo: CUPRA EKS

Adrien Tambay says strategy will be key in longer super final

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Cupra EKS driver Adrien Tambay believes that a solid strategy for Sunday’s longer FIA ETCR Pool Fast super final will be key.

“I start to feel at home with the car, we had a few testing days, but you don’t drive so much,” Tambay told TouringCarTimes.

“The ETCR and the world format is very exciting and very challenging. Everything is new and luckily the performance and the pace is here. I made a little mistake yesterday, so I could have done better, but much worse also, but I’m leading my pool.

“Now the most important thing is to keep it on the road and then have a good strategy for the super final. It will be the first time we drive so many laps with this power, so a good strategy is important.”

The Frenchman is making his series debut with the Cupra e-Racer this weekend and has adapted well, leading Pool Fast so far.

“It’s something I expected, I have been committed from the start and I would have been on pole position without the little mistake and I like this track,” said Tambay.

“Just now I need to pull everything together, my pool is very tough. I have Tom (Blomqvist) and Maxime (Martin) that have been very quick so far, so now we have eight laps and need some strategy.”

The arrival of former DTM drivers into the series has raised the expectations, and Tambay thinks it’s also good for them to have competitive rivals: “I think it’s good for the whole team that we have this level of drivers. The first thing is that we get on very well with each other and we are all working in the same direction. We are also here to enjoy and I think the spirit in the team and with Mattias, Tom, Jordi and myself is good and full of respect.”

The Cupra EKS team-mates are taking it easy on each other at the unforgiving Pau Ville street circuit, but Tambay expects there will be hard fights between them soon.

“We still haven’t had a track battle door-to-door but I think that, when it comes, there will be a lot of respect. We are good drivers and have to keep it clean,” said Tambay.

“When we get to a track with run off areas there will be more battles and I’m sure that Tom will attack me during the race, but it’s normal that you take less risks with your team-mate than with anybody else.”