Dino Beganovic said he, ‘feels like we deserved this one’ , after bringing his DAMS car across the line in second in Miami’s Feature Race. The Swedish driver carried momentum throughout the race, challenging for the win and battling until he crossed the line.
When asked about how he felt about achieving a podium in Miami, his first podium of the season, Beganovic said:
“Feels very good to stand here on the podium in Miami. It feels like a bit of revenge after the Melbourne Feature Race.
“You know, we started the year great with pole and we had an issue in the Feature Race so I feel like we deserved this one. A great race and I really want to thank DAMS and I’m happy to bring this first podium for them.”
From the start, Beganovic showed fans he had great pace. He was continuously battling drivers at the front of the grid, including race winner Gabriele Minì. The two drivers shared some close overtakes in the final laps that ultimately decided the final order.
“I was first trying to give back the position before the straight, he was not very keen to take that position. I tried again in the last corner, running a bit wide to give him that place because I thought it was better to be on the safe side than risking that penalty cutting the chicane.
“So after that I thought I could fight him in the end in the last lap but there was not much left of the tyres and it was more about managing the position and finishing the race in P2.”
Despite finishing second, Beganovic said driving in Miami was ‘better than he expected’.
He put in an impressive performance, showing clear confidence in technical corners despite never racing the Miami track before. Placing second raised him to sixth in the drivers’ championship, 14 points behind Tsolov in first.
“The track has quite a lot of grip, more than expected again, and also in the wet it is cool in Sector 2 where it has the tight section as it is very technical.
“It is very cool to race here in the wet, a little too much overheating maybe, and it maybe could’ve been a bit more exciting for us drivers, focusing more on the driving instead of management but a very cool race in general.’
Along with the rest of the grid, Beganovic will be looking at continuing his momentum when Formula 2 arrives in Montreal, Canada for Free Practice on the 22nd May.
Image: Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images
