Franco: “It’s incredible to be part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy”

Being part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy is amazing.

It has given me a lot of confidence, support and information that I can use in my racing in Formula 3.

It has already helped me a lot and I think it’s going to be even more helpful in the future.

I'm trying to maximise everything that I can get from Williams Racing and carry it over to my racing in F3. It’s been working quite well so far.

I’m really enjoying my time with the team and just looking forward to continuing to work with them.

It’s been an amazing few months for Argentinian sports after winning the World Cup. We have been waiting for something like this for a long time.

Although Argentina is going through a difficult situation right now, all this success in sports is healing our people and it gives them a push; everyone is happy and celebrating which is fantastic. I’m proud of what our country is achieving in every sport and it’s really nice to be one of the leading Formula drivers.

I know that there is a long way to go to get to Formula 1, but I’m just really proud to be where I am and I know how much sacrifice it took to be here.

It is always special when you finally reach something you’ve been waiting for so long. This is where I am now. I’m just enjoying being in F3 and racing in Europe given I know what it takes to get there and I’m giving it everything to put my country at the top and make them all proud.

It is also an honour to have the number 10 on my car. It’s an iconic number in Argentina and it has been used by a lot of heroes and idols in our country in the past. It’s pretty awesome to be able to use that number in my car given what it means for the Argentinian people.

I’m just enjoying having the full package - Williams Racing, the No.10, a car that’s amazing in a great team like MP and so many people getting behind me from Argentina.

Reflecting on Bahrain, it was a tricky weekend, we were maybe a bit lower than our expectations, even though we managed to save the weekend with a podium and quite a few points, which is crucial because results like these can win championships in such a competitive field.

It was amazing to start my season with a podium. It always gives you a big push, not only for me but also for the team who have been working hard all winter.

I’m going to try to keep that momentum of course. It’s all about being consistent and scoring points in every race.

It’s been good competing against my Academy teammates, Zak and Ollie. They’re really nice guys and it’s great to share the Academy with them.

Maybe they didn’t have the weekend they were expecting in Bahrain but it’s a long championship, with nine more rounds to go and anything can happen.

There are many tracks that we don’t really know with the team so it’s going to be new for everyone. That’s always exciting and I think it’s going to be amazing to have our first go at Melbourne.

I have never been to Australia so I’m really looking forward to that. It’s a cool track and I’ve been watching it on the TV since I was little, so to actually be there will be incredible.

I’m trying to get as ready as possible, prepare as best I can and perform even better than in Bahrain.

I think it’s going to be an exciting weekend for us and for the fans as well. With all the changes since last year it’s a super cool track which looks like it’s been built for overtaking so I think it’s going to be super good for racing.

Until then, there’s a lot to be done - mainly simulator work and preparations for Melbourne with the team. We are using these days to try to understand the things that are going right and the things that went wrong in Bahrain, to build on that and not make the same mistakes again.

Preparation will be key for Melbourne. You only get four or five push laps in Quali and if you qualify at the back it’s hard to score points, so we have to be ready.

It’s been a good start to the year, but we need to keep working and improving; it’s a long championship and there’s still a long, long way to go.

So, I’m looking forward to that and also getting more trophies and podiums in the future.

I’m just really happy and excited about the future. I want to keep learning, developing and understanding more and more, as I still have a lot to learn.

But, I’m really enjoying it so far and it’s just incredible to be part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy.