FVA Technical Director Robert Mathershaw today expressed his excitement for “the most anticipated FV season in years”, while speaking to fan favourite former driver Diego Campos on his podcast, Diego-go-go. “I think it’s clear to see the excitement building for a season that’s going to be unlike anything else we’ve seen in Formula Virtual up to now. I’ve seen a lot of what the teams are doing behind the scenes to get up to speed with the new regs, and the different approaches are just fascinating.”
Mathershaw is relatively new to the senior leadership team within the Federation Virtuel de l’Automobile, starting his current role as Technical Director last year following retirement as Technical Director of his eponymous team after a decade at the helm. The fact he was brought into the fold by FV series CEO Nic Morley was an indication of new ideas being sought for 2024 and beyond: “I think whenever you have stability for a number of years, you get a really recognisable product, but also one that becomes a little predictable if you’re not careful. Nic has had some brilliant ideas since 2014, and my job is to help flesh out some of the blue sky thinking, and bring my own ideas about what we need for the sport. With the new aerodynamic regulations for this year, we’re going to see a bigger shift than ever from a purely technical standpoint, and then there are some sporting regulation changes, one of which I am more excited for than anything else in FV history with the tyre strategies working across a season.” The conversation turned to Mathershaw’s position in general, and what we can expect from the Englishman moving forward: “I suppose the closest comparison is something like the American motorsport model, where for instance NASCAR has a “Vice President of Competiton”, responsible for helping the top brass make sure anything relating to the on-track product, technical or sporting, lives up to the fans’ and teams’ expectations. I’ve been around the block a few times by now, so I’d say having a poacher turned gamekeeper like me on board can only help to keep everyone on their toes!” Finally, towards the end of the podcast, Mathershaw and Diego turned their attention to favourites to triumph at the end of the year: “There are so many variables, and I think it’s fair to say that for the first time really, even if you’re on top on pure performance, there are a lot of ways to totally cock it up from a sporting and strategic point of view. But, it’s the same for everyone, and I’m hoping we’ve hit upon a winning formula to give all the teams a fair shot, rewarding those who can execute on every last aspect.” When Diego kindly pointed out to Robert that he didn’t answer the question, he simply smiled, before remembering that nobody can see what you do with your face on a podcast…
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