Felipe Nasr: the natural-born racer chasing his F1 dreams

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  • The 23-year-old joined Sauber earlier this year.

    Hailing from Brazil, having a racing driver for an uncle and carrying an Arabic surname that literally translates to “victory”, Felipe Nasr, in a way, was destined to have a career in motorsport.

    “I think it’s the best surname I could have,” he jokes. 

    Born in Brasilia to parents of Lebanese descent, Nasr took his first steps in racing at the tender age of seven by taking up karting.

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    Today, the 23-year-old has just wrapped up his first full year as a Formula One driver – a season in which he has certainly made a lasting impression.

    Nasr was the official test driver for Williams in 2014 before he was given a seat on the grid by Sauber. And his very first F1 race, in Melbourne last March, showed the world what the Brazilian rookie is made of.

    Nasr found himself blindsided by a legal battle between Sauber and Dutch driver Giedo van der Garde, who took the Swiss team to court before the opening grand prix in Australia.

    Van der Garde, who had a legal contract to drive for Sauber, almost ruined Nasr’s inaugural F1 outing as team principal Monisha Kaltenborn was going to get arrested and the team’s cars were about to get seized. But the Dutchman ended up settling out of court, giving Nasr and team-mate Marcus Ericsson a reprieve.

    Nasr astonishingly took the entire episode in his stride and finished a remarkable fifth in Melbourne, which made him Brazil’s most successful F1 debutant in history.

    “I think it was the toughest weekend physically and mentally, just to take in all this information and when I was in the car I just had to do everything I can to put this aside and concentrate on the driving,” Nasr told Sport360° at Yas Marina Circuit.

    “I think that proved that I was ready to take this seriously. Melbourne was amazing, it was something I never imagined could happen. It surpassed any expectation I had as a driver and the team as well. We knew the car we had was not the car to finish fifth.

    “The whole weekend was difficult because we had to go into court early in the week, we missed free practice 1, it was a track that I didn’t know, my first ever time in an F1 weekend… so all this created a lot of difficulties.”

    Nasr was the official test driver for Williams in 2014.

    Handling pressure is something Nasr got accustomed to from a young age as he left Brazil to start a career in racing in Italy when he was just 16. It was an experience he feels set him up for the future but it did not come without sacrifices.

    “For sure it was the way to reach my career because in Brazil we didn’t have any other series or any other steps to follow to reach F1. So I had to do something outside Brazil so I could develop as a driver, as a person… that made me mature, that made me experienced,” says Nasr, who was the 2009 Formula BMW Europe champion and the 2011 British Formula 3 champion.

    “Of course it’s not easy when you leave everything behind: family, friends, school, it’s different than for a European driver.

    He finishes the race, he goes back to Europe, he can have a normal life and for us it’s different, you have to leave all your commitments behind and just focusing on achieving a dream.”

    Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, Emerson Fittipaldi, Rubens Barrichello… Brazil has produced a string of legends in F1. 

    Williams’ 34-year-old Felipe Massa is approaching the end of his career and Nasr will soon be carrying the hopes of the South American nation solo.

    “Straight away, automatically, any Brazilian that starts in the motor racing business will have pressure, will have a responsibility just because of the past drivers and champions we had,” admits Nasr.

    “That creates expectation. But it’s something I’ve been used to since I began in karting and you just have to use it in a positive way.

    “I think there is time for everything to happen and I have no regrets over the way I built my career and how I started in Formula One now, it’s been a very good journey so far.”

    Nasr follows a great list of Brazilian drivers.

    Nasr got his first taste of home expectations two weeks ago when he competed at the Brazilian GP at Interlagos.

    “It was very special. It was full of emotions, full of support, full of energy, from everyone, from the people, from the fans, from the staff that work in the race track,” Nasr says of the experience.

    “It was something I always dreamed about when I was younger, when I started karting and that day finally came and I was able to race in Sao Paulo for the first time. Despite the result (13th), I think the whole experience was nice. I can’t wait to be back next year.”

    But Brazil is not the only place Nasr is treated like a home hero. His Lebanese roots – his grandfather moved from Lebanon to Brazil in the 1960s – make him the closest thing to an Arab F1 star this region could claim to have, and he was met with considerable fanfare at both grand prix stops in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. 

    “I think it is in a way surprising, but it’s nice, because of my Lebanese descent, we are kind of used to the culture and the way things are, to the people, so I’m always happy to come back here,” he says. 

    In his rookie season, Nasr has finished in the top-10 six times and has collected 27 points compared to just nine from team-mate Ericsson, outperforming him 11 times in 20 races. Looking back to a year ago, when he was juggling his Williams test driving 
    duties with GP2, Nasr feels he has come a long way but is far from finished.

    “Because here people judge you very quickly, they want to see the results quickly, so least time to deliver is important. And I think I was able to show that in my very first race in Australia. It’s a nice feeling when you look back at it,” he adds.

    “A lot has changed (in my life this year). The responsibility, the kind of attention you get. The requests from the media, the fans, everything has built up.
    “It was a dream to become an F1 driver, it was the first step, but I want to build a lot more, I want to become a champion one day, there’s a lot of things I want to do.”

    There is one rookie that has done better than Nasr this season, the 18-year-old Max Verstappen, who is the youngest F1 driver in the history of the sport. Much has been made of Verstappen’s age and whether someone that inexperienced should be on the grid but the Dutch teen has silenced many critics with his performances in 2015.

    Does Nasr feel he could have handled F1 at 17?

    “I think the way it is today, yes. The cars are a lot easier to handle than they used to be. And I think the preparation you have nowadays, it’s quite good,” said the Brazilian.

    “It can give you a nice experience before you have to face something, before you have to drive a car, or a season in F1. I think Max has done a pretty good job as well, considering his age. I’m sure this only proves that this young generation is capable of doing good things in the future.”

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