Superleague Formula: Bernoldi and Flamengo end the season
Brazilian has problems, but highlights a busy year representing the red-black team
By From the press office of Enrique Bernoldi - in
With a fourth-place finish in Sunday's second race at Jarama, Liverpool clinched the Superleague's second season title. Led by Spaniard Adrian Vallés, the Spanish team reached 408 points and secured the title despite rival Tottenham Hotspur's second-place finish.
The Brazilians had a less than encouraging end to the season. Suffering from a severe sore throat, which even questioned his participation in the final doubleheader, Enrique Bernoldi gave the Flamengo car his all.
The red-and-black driver, who has experience in F-1 and F-Indy - the two biggest categories in world motorsport -, had a measured first race, finishing 11th, but had a great performance in the second race, where he started fourth, reached third and was forced to retire due to car problems.
"Yesterday it was difficult even to speak, but I checked myself into the room to recover in time. Today I woke up feeling a little better, and the doctors cleared me to participate in the race. The car was competitive at first, but gradually lost performance until I had to stop completely, with five minutes remaining in the race," he explained. Victory in both races went to Anderlecht and Galatasaray.
"But it was a very good first year. I returned to single-seater racing after breaking my right hand in IndyCar. I had to change teams mid-season, but I managed to start at the front, lead races, and get on the podium. I'm very grateful to Flamengo for the opportunity, to the Superleague for the invitation, and I hope to continue representing this passionate fan base, which has always been very affectionate with me wherever I've been," he added.
The Brazilians had a less than encouraging end to the season. Suffering from a severe sore throat, which even questioned his participation in the final doubleheader, Enrique Bernoldi gave the Flamengo car his all.
The red-and-black driver, who has experience in F-1 and F-Indy - the two biggest categories in world motorsport -, had a measured first race, finishing 11th, but had a great performance in the second race, where he started fourth, reached third and was forced to retire due to car problems.
"Yesterday it was difficult even to speak, but I checked myself into the room to recover in time. Today I woke up feeling a little better, and the doctors cleared me to participate in the race. The car was competitive at first, but gradually lost performance until I had to stop completely, with five minutes remaining in the race," he explained. Victory in both races went to Anderlecht and Galatasaray.
"But it was a very good first year. I returned to single-seater racing after breaking my right hand in IndyCar. I had to change teams mid-season, but I managed to start at the front, lead races, and get on the podium. I'm very grateful to Flamengo for the opportunity, to the Superleague for the invitation, and I hope to continue representing this passionate fan base, which has always been very affectionate with me wherever I've been," he added.