Alexandra Marinescu is currently finding her way in single seater racing. With a small budget and big dreams, she is looking to enter the British Formula 4 Championship half way through the 2017 season.
Now, the budget has affected her since she began racing, so to counteract this she recently set up a crowdfund project to help her achieve her goal of reaching British F4.
“Well, that’s probably the most important part right now (donations) because without that money from the crowdfunding I won’t be able to attend the second half of the season so it’s actually critical. Well, the crowdfunding has been open for a week, I think, and we have $1000 out of $25,000 so right now it’s not looking too good but we’re hoping it will get better.”
Avid watchers of the British Touring Car Support package will most likely remember Alexandra from the beginning of the 2015 season. But, her championship challenge was soon cut short after an accident, forcing her to stop racing for the rest of the season.
“Yes, but I only went to the first race and the second or third training session, I can’t remember. I had a crash because we were having some technical problems during the whole weekend and the team wouldn’t listen to me when I told them, my car was jumping two gears by itself so that’s a problem! Because of that technical problem I had this accident and I had to go to the hospital and so I couldn’t attend the qualifying and I couldn’t race.”
After just over a year out of the F4 car, Alexandra jumped back in at Silverstone last week to prepare herself for the second half of next season. Being watched on by the team and a potential sponsor must have been nerve racking, not to mention the fact she had been out of the car for so long, but she didn’t let it show and got used to the car within a few sessions, picking up exactly where she left off.
“It was really great, the last time I was in the car it was last year in April so I hadn’t been in the car for a year and two months and I wasn’t expecting to adapt so fast to the car, but
it only took me two sessions to get in the right mind and on the right pace and it was really good. The team was happy, my potential sponsor was happy too so it went really well. Yes, it was really great. I mean, I really missed it and it was just all that adrenaline came back that over the past year I had just forgotten and also what it was like to be in the car. It was really, really great and I’m hoping to continue to drive the car but we’ll see how that goes with the money and stuff.”
Alexandra is Romania’s first female racing driver and aiming for Formula 1. But, knowing she must keep her dreams realistic with the budget she has, is also aiming for IndyCar.
“Well, obviously like any other driver, to get into Formula 1.That sounds so easy! But I must keep it realistic, if not Formula 1 then at least IndyCar!”
As mentioned several times she is aiming for the second half of the 2017 British Formula 4 season, but it is completely money dependant. On top of her ‘Race With Me’ crowdfund project she is searching for sponsors to help her on her way.
“For next season, probably at least a top five, that would be the goal. But we’ll see how that goes. First of all I have to see if we can make it to the second half of the season, then
I’ll start thinking about next season. Yes, that’s the only obstacle left. My driving is fine, as I saw from Silverstone. But now the only thing we need to sort out is the sponsor problem.”
Drivers struggling with money is becoming a running theme in the junior categories, but Alexandra has the talent and determination to make it in the future. Keep looking out for her as you may see her in that F1 car sooner than you think. By Sophie Barker
