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18
After having turned 16 on the last 17
of April, Matevos Isaakyan became
the youngest winner in Formula
Renault 2.0 ALPS. Last May, at the
Austrian track of Spielberg, the
Moscow-based JD Motorsport driver
left a strong impression in the
paddock with a double victory that
interrupted the domination of Nyck de
Vries. The SMP program’s youngster
got two sensational results that were
also followed by two second places at
Spa-Franorchamps. The last two
races established him as one of the
favorite drivers for the title also
thanks to a performance level that
maybe somebody expected, even
himself.
Did you expect to win two
straight races at this point of the
season?
“Honestly I have to say that since the
very start of my open-wheel career
I’ve never been particularly slow. It’s
been hard but I learn how to manage
the aspects of this sport in the F.4
Academy in France and in Formula
Toyota in New Zealand. Anyway, this
is a different championship, and
scoring two poles and two wins at my
second round has been incredible. I
didn’t expect it for sure.”
Your run in the ALPS
championship wasn’t off to the
best of starts. After practice, you
had to sit out of the races due to
your young age. What was the
feeling back then?
“Basically I knew that I couldn’t race
since I wasn’t yes 16. We planned to
line-up only in practice to see where
our rivals were and understand what
the level of the series was. Then they
told me that I could race. It’s been a
surprise and I was really happy but
then it changed idea again and that
was disappointing. It’s been a pity
because we know we had the pace
and a good car at Imola. Instead, I
started the season with a 50-point
gap compared to the others with all
the related issues”.
You started your season at Pau
and you performed straight out of
the box, showing you were a
frontrunner.
“I had already raced with the F.4 cars
at Pau and it hadn’t been a good
experience, I crashed out. This time
we saw that we were quick since
practice. Then in qualifying we
dropped another half second and
scoring the group pole. That handed
me a second-place start due to the
other group being slightly faster. At
Pau, passing is almost impossible and
qualifying is key so I got a very
valuable second place. Then
unfortunately I made a mistake in
Race 2 with three to go while I was
once again second. It’s a pity, but we
showed we could be fast both in dry
and wet conditions on a track full of
traps”.
Then in Austria you scored a
double win and everything played
out perfectly. And at Spa you got
two second places.
“They are great results, no doubt
about that. At Spa I thought I would
have been a player given the pace I
had in the Eurocup Renault. I was
right but Nyck de Vries was even
quicker. In Race 1 I tried to pass him
for the win at the penultimate lap, but
I didn’t make it. In Race 2, fighting
with Barnicoat meant that I was out of
the battle for the lead, as Nyck took
advantage of our duel and pulled
away making all efforts futile”.
At this point of the season
did your goal change?
“No. My goal was and still is to
improve every time, in each race.
It’s clear that I’ll try to win the title,
but if it will happen, it will be a
consequence of the experience. It’s
going to be hard anyway. Nyck has a
sensational pace and it will be difficult
to make it if he won’t start making
mistakes. I’m going to try until the
end”.
What is your idea about this
championship?
“Personally, I thing it’s very good.
There are a lot of strong young
driver and that means great
competition. In order to emerge, you
have to be consistently fast and
improve in each day. In addition to
that, the many tests are great to make
experience. So you’re also ready for
the Eurocup. I would say that the
ALPS series has everything, also
considering the top quality of the
tracks where we race”.
So now we know the “public”
Matevos Isaakyan. But what do
you do in your private life? Where
do you live and what are your
projects?
“I live in Moscow and I’m currently a
student. I just finished my compulsory
education and I will shortly have some
exams. Then I will join an High School
to study Sport Management and I
would love to study and live in
western Europe. I think I live the
normal life of a 16-year-old. I study,
listen to music, practice sports. I go
on go-karts or skating with my
friends. Then, of course, I have to
stay fit so I go to the gym often. A life
similar to others…”
