Bartlomiej Mirecki has won the title in Formula Renault 2.0 category this year. However, he has other plans for 2020 season and he won´t defend overall victory there. The Pole has said it in our interview.
Bartlomiej, you have won the championship of Formula Renault 2.0 category this year. How would you evaluate the last season?
This year was good for me, I tried to win the title again and I made it 3rd time in a row. The beginning of the year was really hard as I lost a lot of points, but from the middle of the season, I needed to beat everybody.
This year’s title wasn‘t your first in ESET V4 Cup because you had become an F3 Trophy champion in 2017 and 2018. How would you compare this year’s title with these two achievements and with other your successes, like for example the 3rd place in Formula Renault NEC 2017 season or with titles in 2012 and 2013 in KIA Lotos Race?
Titles in 2012 and 2013 were in Kia Picanto, a completely different car, a touring car. 2017 was hard for me. To compare both championships, I tried everything I could to be on the top in both categories. Every year I have new experiences and every year I try to start fresh, so it’s easier to fight without bad memories from previous years.
The 2019 season didn’t start in a good way for you as you didn’t score any points in the first event at Hungaroring. What thoughts were going through your head after that round?
Yes, it was so hard for me, as well as a weekend in Grobnik where I had technical problems again. We really had a lot of problems this year. After Hungaroring, I knew that it might be a difficult season for me, and it was.
So am I right to say that Hungaroring is your worst memory of this year?
Yes, Hungaroring and Grobnik. On Hungaroring, we knew from the beginning that there were problems, but it was too late to fix them. At Grobnik, we couldn’t find our problem until the next race weekend when everything started to work well again even without making any changes.
And what event will you remember the best?
I think I will remember the wet race at Grobnik for a long time. There I won the FR 2.0 class and was on 3rd place overall despite a big big gap. I started from the pit lane, without a formation lap and any tests before the start. But I really like wet races, I say that every time. Also, the wet race at Red Bull Ring brings good memories, where from 25 minutes we had just 3 laps and managed to finish in Top 10 after starting in 28th position.
Formula Renault 2.0 category was really tight this year. You beat Nico Gruber in the 2nd place by only ten points and 3rd Robert Hefler, who didn’t compete in the last round, lost just 14 points to you. How were the battles against these two drivers?
As I said at the beginning, I got double zero from Hungaroring and not so many points from Grobnik as well. So, my way to win was difficult, especially when the rest of the drivers earned lots of points in every race.
Were you disappointed that Hefler had switched to an F3 car for the last round, so he dropped out of the title fight?
It meant one less driver on the grid, so I wasn’t happy about it. I don’t like to race when the grid is so small, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed for Robert for the next year. He is a fast and good driver. He started in the F3 and immediately drove so far, so he’ll make a good step in the new category next year.
You didn’t spend this year only in cockpits of Formula cars. You also appeared on the Touring Car scene, where you raced in Renault Clio Cup Central Europe series at Most, and we could see you in your home country as well. How do you remember these performances?
This year was as long as always for me. I raced in the CCCE in Most, then in Polish Sprint championships and Polish Endurance series as well, so I spent every weekend in cockpit. One year before I started in Most from 30th position and finished 3rd. It was a wet race, and as I said, I love wet races. This year races at Most were also supposed to be wet, but they were dry and so I must be happy with a Top 5 results only. But I won Sprint and Endurance in Poland – Endurance in 2 cars, so I was really busy driver this year.
What are your plans for the 2020 season? Will you continue in Formula Renault 2.0 category? Will you focus on Touring Cars more? Or do you have some different plans?
For 100%, I will not do a full Formula season. Since I drive in FR2.0, we’ve never had a Poznan race before. Maybe this year we will start this event, so then I’d take my FR 2.0 gloves to have some fun in the home race. At the moment, I can’t tell my official plans for 2020. The only thing I’m sure about on 100% is that I won’t race in any higher formula class, but I will also not stop racing. We are looking for cars for this year, but I can’t say where But, if everything goes well, we will be seeing together at the ESET V4 events as well.