Kirill Kutskov from the Maffi Racing team is one of the rising stars in the F4 CEZ championship. He won one sprint in the opening round of the season but also faced an unfortunate race weekend in Austria. So, how does he cope with the ups and downs during his debut season? We discussed this with him at Slovakia Ring.
Determined and always focused, Kutskov sits second in the drivers‘ standings, behind leader Oscar Wurz and with a comfortable gap to third-place Max Karhan. Those are pretty solid results for a driver who just entered the Formula 4 competition.
“We started from zero because that’s the first time I’ve been participating in F4 CEZ. We didn’t have any data or information about the tracks, unlike our main competitor, Jenzer Motorsport, which has been racing in this championship for a second year. So they had an advantage over us from the beginning. But at Balaton Park, it was really good for me. I finished twice on the podium, with one win,” evaluated Kutskov.
After a successful opening weekend at Balaton Park, came a cold shower with three unfortunate DNFs at Red Bull Ring. So how does this build his character?
“I have nine years of experience in racing, so I’ve faced many situations like that. One weekend like that is not a problem for me. It happens; it’s racing. For sure, we are always trying to do our best, but sometimes we just can’t.”
Kutskov’s transfer from kart racing to F4 single-seaters has been pretty successful so far. But he is not only participating in F4 CEZ. He also raced in the F4 Spanish Championship and the F4 Saudi Arabian Championship, where he finished third overall, ahead of Oscar Wurz, his main rival in F4 CEZ.
“We raced against each other in the Saudi Arabian F4, and I was really competitive there. I finished the season P3 overall. He was a bit behind me in points. For sure, I wouldn’t say that his level of driving is higher than mine. It’s always about the technique you have, the experience, and the laps you’ve done in Formula 4.”
The overwhelming majority of drivers in F4 and other racing series all over the world use simulators to prepare for race weekends at unfamiliar tracks. However, Kutskov is an exception. He doesn’t use that kind of tool.
“It’s useless for me. Money spent, time spent. They are not even close to reality. I’ve tried professional simulators like the ones Prema Racing uses. It´s not even close to what actually happens on track. So there is no point in it.”
Kutskov uses an old-fashioned way to learn the track. He puts on his helmet and drives on the track.
“I enter the track, I do two laps slowly, then I know the track, and then I push. So basically, three laps, and you know exactly where to push. Yes, usually when the track is more technical, it takes more time, maybe a few sessions. But it is what it is,” explained Kutskov.
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