At the end of May, Ferrari's Esport team had some great results, including a great victory for Varrone in the Silver Cup and a fourth place finish for Nielsen in the Pro Cup (summary if you speak English). On this occasion, I was able to speak with David Tonizza, from the Ferrari team and 1 F2019 Esports World Champion.
Thank you very much for your time. Can you introduce yourself ?
The best way to introduce myself is to think about the structure of a racing team: you will probably find GT drivers and/or F1 drivers. Nowadays it is very common to find Esports drivers as well, and I fall into this category. Basically, instead of driving a real Ferrari, I drive a virtual Ferrari, competing in high-level races and championships.
When did you join the official Esport Ferrari team?
I joined the FDA Esports team in July 2019: I was selected during the F1 Esports Pro Draft.
Was it a dream to join such an iconic team?
Of course, it was a dream. I don't usually show emotions in public, but on this occasion I remember I felt a lot of different feelings, everyone could tell how happy I was!
How was the coaching of real pilots?
Better than expected: they're so talented even on simulators, so the only problem comes when you have to teach them a few tricks that maybe don't match the real driving style. But, other than that, it's great to share my experience with them, and vice versa.
Are you used to working with real pilots? What is your actual track experience?
I raced go-karts when I was a kid; then I had to stop because of the really high budget. After a few years, I discovered the world of simulation. I would love to have the opportunity to get back on a real track!
Did you learn anything back from the pilots' experiences?
Yes, even if it's not in the simulation world. They showed me all the features of real cars, even the smaller ones. So I gained a lot of knowledge from them.
What would be your advice for a player who wants to get into racing simulation?
I would tell him to try! You don't need to spend a lot of money. Basically, anyone can start their own simulator racing career with a cheap steering wheel and pedals. Have fun and enjoy; if you see the potential, try to compete in higher level competitions. If you are good enough, you will be noticed by an Esport team and your journey will begin!
Interview in English
Hi! Thanks a lot for your time. Can you introduce yourself?
The best way to introduce myself is by thinking at the structure of a racing team: you'll probably find GT drivers and/or F1 drivers. Nowadays it's really common to find also the Esports drivers, and I'm part of that category. Basically, instead of driving a real Ferrari, I drive a virtual one, competing in high-level races and championships.
When did you join the official Ferrari esport team?
I joined the FDA Esports Team in July 2019: I’ve been picked by them during the F1 Esports Pro Draft.
It was a dream to join such an iconic team?
Of course it was a dream. I usually don’t show emotions in public, but in that occasion, I remember I was feeling a lot of different sensations, everyone could tell how happy I was!
How was the coaching of real drivers?
Better than expected: they’re so talented even on simulators, so the only issue comes out when you need to teach them some tips which maybe doesn’t suit the real driving style. But apart from that, it’s great to share my experience with them, and viceversa.
Are you used to work with real driver? What's your experience on real track?
I was racing in go karts when I was a child; then I had to stop because of the really high budget, after some years I discovered the sim world. I wish I’ll have the opportunity to hit the real track once again though!
Did you learn something in return from their difference experiences?
Yes, eventhough not in the sim world. They showed me all the features of the real cars, even the smallest ones. So I gained lots of knowledge from them.
What would be your advice for a player who want to start sim-racing?
I'd tell him to give it a try. You don't need to spend lots of money, basically everyone has started its own sim racing career with cheap wheels and pedals. Have fun and enjoy it; if you see that there's potential, then try to participate in higher level competitions. If you're good enough, you'll be noticed by esports team and your journey will begin.
