Indeed it is, and as he sits fifth in the drivers' standings heading into round two at Silverstone this weekend, Christodoulou's enthusiasm and eagerness to get out on-track again to prove his worth are palpable. With the confidence – and pace, it must be said – of a seasoned veteran, it is easy to forget that the 20-year-old is still a rookie, albeit a rookie eminently capable of challenging for glory.
“This weekend I feel back to my normal self,” he asserted, “and I feel like I've got that drive back. I've been working hard in the gym and been doing a lot of mind focus work, so I really can't wait to get out on the track. All I have to do now is just improve my qualifying a little bit and improve my starts, and I know I've got race pace and that I can race well. I've worked hard and I'm just itching to get in the car and get on with it – I don't mind whether it's wet or dry. We tested very well in the wet there, so I'm very confident.
“The team are behind me 110 per cent, and likewise I've got a lot of belief in my engineer, my two mechanics, my team manager and just everyone in there. It's good to be the main focus in the team and have everyone driving behind you, and that's going to push me on even more. I know how much they want to be champions as well, so I think all of us together can do the job. It's not impossible.”
Having tested a World Series by Renault car over the winter – and mightily impressively too, lapping fastest of anyone first time out – Christodoulou argues that the step-up from Formula Renault to Formula 3 was 'not massive, to be honest', praising the former as a 'good starting breed' and revealing that he rapidly established a solid baseline and feel for his F3 machine. He does concede, however, that with the strength of competition in the series and the closeness of the lap times, even the slightest error is instantly magnified – but any talk of pressure is quickly shrugged off.
“You've got your main guys – you've got [Daniel] Ricciardo, [Nick] Tandy and a few others,” the Sutton Coldfield ace reflected, “but they're just other human beings – they're just names. It's all about keeping the focus on myself and doing the best job that I can and on scoring points – and that's what I'm out to do. It's now just about trying to get those extra little bits; the braking is so important, as are carrying speed into the corners and having confidence in the car.
“I always see myself as a contender. I think you have to keep that in your head, because you don't want to fall into being a second-place man. You've got to know that you're number one in your head – obviously don't be big-headed about it, but you've got to know that and feel that, and if you believe that, anything's possible. I believe that I can be champion this year, so I'm going to try and make that possible. That has to be the ultimate goal.”
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