Welcome to another edition of the ‘Let’s get to know…’ series, hosted by me Scott Parkin of FVTV. This series aims to, whilst keeping it short and sweet, provide an insight into various people from inside the Formula Virtual paddock ranging from the famous drivers to the behind-the-scenes staff at some of the teams. Today we are joined by the youngest driver on the grid who is currently in his second season in Formula Virtual. He has had a very successful junior career - picking up wins in each of his four seasons in Formula Virtual’s feeder series – and has been signed by three times champions Franklin to make the step up to the top tier of Virtual Motorsport for next season. Welcome Danilo! Tell us about yourself as a person, and how would you describe yourself as a driver? Danilo Forini: Hello, my name is Danilo Forini, I'm 21 from Switzerland and I currently drive for Nebula Powerteam in VWRS, and will be driving for JFPT Franklin Honda in 2021. Myself as a person, I would describe myself as quite meticulous and driven, excuse the pun. I'm sure my friends and family would tell you that I am like a dog with a bone, is the expression, when I want something, I don't let go. Although I like to think of myself as quite easy going as well, I like to enjoy myself, but only once the work is done. As a driver, I think my determination definitely comes through, and my work ethic. To my mind, I am very technical, I really enjoy the inner workings of things, the car, the track, making sure I understand each and every part of it so that when I get in the car I am ready for anything. This helps me in all eventualities as I make sure to do my homework so that whatever comes my way, I have a plan a, plan b, all the way down to z for it. That's who I am. What do you most enjoy doing in your free time? DF: In my free time, it might sound a little boring, but I am currently studying aerodynamics in my spare time. It's something that has always interested me, and I think as a driver, understanding those areas of the car can only help in developing your feedback, so that the driver and the team don't necessarily talk two different languages. It'll take some time, for sure, as it's not a full-time study for me, but it would be nice to have a degree in that. Other than that, I also like to spend time with friends and family, as I'm sure lots of people do, as well as creating my podcast 'Formula Forini'. I think it's really important to be interacting with the fans this way. What music do you listen to the most? DF: My music taste is quite varied, but I do find myself listening to a lot of 80s style music. I probably get this from my parents, but I find it really gives you a big mood boost, especially for a weekend of racing! What is your favourite food? DF: I'm actually a very big fan of sushi! I didn't really have it until I was 17 when my dad took me out for a lunch after a particularly difficult race weekend. The car had just failed me all weekend, so I wasn't really able to do anything about it and was quite down, especially with all the money my parents were feeding into me doing this. But he took me out and I just fell in love with it to be honest. Interestingly enough, it was also the first meal I had with the guys at the Franklin factory! Do you have any fears? DF: My biggest fear is probably being not prepared. I have spent so long making back up plans for my backup plans, and I think it all stems from not wanting to be caught in a situation where I can't do my best. So maybe it comes down to a fear of failure. That doesn't mean I won't try, but I spend a lot of time thinking about everything that could go wrong. What is your greatest achievement outside of motorsport? DF: Achievements outside of Motorsport...that's a tricky one. I think perhaps becoming fluent in multiple languages. So I speak French, English, German, Japanese, Spanish and Italian. Maybe it's a bit overkill, but I like to communicate! Either that or getting the platinum trophy in Bloodborne. Have you played it? That game is difficult! If you had not become a racing driver, what do you think you would have been? DF: If I hadn't become a racing driver...honestly...to my mind, I think I would still be an athlete of some kind. Fitness has been a big part of my life recently and I have huge amounts of respect for athletes of all disciplines, so perhaps a triathlete or something. I love pushing my body to ensure that I am always at the best possible condition, so I think something like that is what I'd be doing. Who is your idol outside of FV? DF: Outside of FV? It might sound a little childish, but maybe Tony Stark? Or Ironman should I say for those who don't know. Depending on which iteration you go with, here is a man who is just merely human. When you look at everyone else in that Universe, this man has used his hard work, his genius to go toe to toe with literal gods. That is how I feel now, stepping into the ring with the drivers who to me have been competing at an unfathomable level, some of them doing it since the beginning of the series, ever since I was only 14 and watching at home on television. That is part of the reason I am wearing this helmet, because I want to be the Ironman of this arena. Who is your idol in the world of FV? DF: Inside of FV is a bit more of a different answer than some might expect. Obviously I have huge respect for the drivers, but I would nominate Felicia Quinn as the person I idolise the most. She's only been around since last year in a major role, she was more of a background part before, but the work she has done has been outstanding. To take a team like Franklin back to the forefront, and cope with that kind of pressure is admirable. Not only that but she has also done such a great job this year in my opinion given the short time span she has had with the car and the reduced funds of the team. Meeting her was a great honour and I'm so happy to be working with her for the future! Who are your closest friends in FV, drivers or anyone else? DF: I haven't actually had too much interaction with people in FV other than the Franklin team. So I've really gotten on with Jamie, Felicia and Nick has been really welcoming as well! Although he's not in FV anymore, I got on with Sebastien Vocquelin quite well. It's not like we have dinner dates or something, but he was someone I could always chat with in the paddock last year. What do you enjoy most about being a driver in Formula Virtual? DF: Well I'm not an FV driver yet! But I think the best part at the moment has been meeting all of the people I've looked up to for years, working with some of the most talented people in the world. It's really a dream come true. This is a series that I've been watching for the last 8 years, so to be coming into it now is almost surreal, so that's definitely something I've really enjoyed. Hopefully in the future I'll have an even better answer though! What has been your personal favourite race so far and why? DF: My favourite race so far is probably the French V-Prix in 2014. It might seem like an odd choice, but I was able to go to that V-Prix with my dad. I remember it being a bit of a chaotic race, with Nikolai Milkovich taking the win! So just purely for nostalgia reasons, that was my favourite race. Do you consider anyone as a rival? DF: A rival is difficult to choose. I think it's something that develops organically over a season, or multiple seasons. If I had to choose though, someone that I want to be compared with is Klaas Van Snelheid. When it comes to drivers who have come from junior categories, he is the gold standard, someone who has done very well in other series, and is now competing for Championships against multiple world champions, so to be considered one of his rivals would obviously be something that I'd want, as it would mean that I am doing something right! Could you see yourself ever driving for another team? If yes, who could you see yourself driving for and why? DF: Right now, no. I don't see myself driving for another team. I've worked hard to get myself here and I don't want to go anywhere until I've achieved what I set out to do. But ...that's not a fun answer. So the two other teams I could potentially see myself in are Ingram and Phoenix. Ingram were always heavily linked with Franklin, and they won the race that I watched when I was 15, so they are someone that I think it would be cool to drive for. Phoenix seem like a pretty likeable team too. I think they have potential that maybe they haven't capitalised on yet, and with them being so likeable, selfishly, if I were to help bring them forward, that would mean people would like me even more right? No? Maybe? We'll see, haha. And finally, who would you like to nominate as the next person to do a ‘Let’s get to know…’? DF: Part of me wants to do someone from the Downton catering staff. That's got to be a fun interview right? No? Okay then, let's go with James Vasquez. Given the performances he's been putting in for Ingram, I think the fans would love to hear more from him!
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