B/R Exclusive: Alexander Rossi Talks About His First F1 Race and Plans for 2016

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: October 20, 2015

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One month ago in Singapore, 24-year-old Alexander Rossi fulfilled his lifelong dream of racing in a Formula One grand prix. The California native finished an impressive 14th in his debut, ahead of his more experienced Manor team-mate, Will Stevens.

This Sunday in Austin, Texas, Rossi will become the first American F1 driver to start his home race since Scott Speed at the 2007 U.S. Grand Prix in Indianapolis. 

But all of it—part of a five-race deal with the Manor team—almost never happened.

"I think after what was a very challenging three or four months in 2014, at the end of the year, it was the first time where I considered going a different route," says Rossi over the phone from New York, where he stopped for a media blitz on his way to Austin.

"It’s not a secret that I was looking at IndyCar, and I was actually very, very close—I’d say maybe less than a week away—to signing the deal to race in IndyCar this year."

At the last minute, GP2 team Racing Engineering offered Rossi a seat. Current Manor reserve driver Fabio Leimer won the GP2 title with the team in 2013, as did Giorgio Pantano in 2008, and the team's pedigree helped convince Rossi to jump aboard.

"When the opportunity to drive for a championship-winning team in GP2 came, it was something that I couldn’t say no to," he explains. "I always felt that if I’d had a competitive car in GP2, I’d be able to be up front and fight for a championship, and I’d never had that opportunity."



Had he chosen to return to America to race in IndyCar, the Manor deal would never have happened. Instead, he has won three GP2 races and sits second in the championship with four races remaining. That performance, along with his previous association with Manor/Marussia (he was the team's reserve driver at the end of the year and nearly raced in Belgium and Russia), hel...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Formula 1

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