Jaime Melo won the European F3000 championship this year and in an exclusive interview with
Crash.net Brazil admits he is unlikely to return to the FIA-F3000 championship next year, preferring instead a drive in either the Telefonica World Series or a US drive, as he pursues his
F1 dream.
Q: For those that don’t know you well, could you summarise your racing career so far?
Jaime Melo: I began go-karting at nine years old and raced for six years in karts, winning the Brazilian championship twice and Paranaense championship three times.
Then, in 1996, I did a year of Formula Ford and followed that with a season in South American F3 - Class B, before graduating to the main category in 1998, where I finished runner-up. I was also runner-up in 1999, with five wins.
In 2000 I moved to the International F3000 championship after getting a seat with the Petrobras Jr. team and I finished tenth in my debut season. In 2001, due to a lack of sponsorship, I had to move to Durango – if I’d had more sponsorship I would have stayed with Petronas Jr and done a lot better.
Anyway, in 2002 I moved to the European F3000 series, winning the title at my first attempt. Because of that I later received an invitation for some end of year drives in the Telefonica World Series races in Brazil.
Q: Describe your championship winning season in European F3000?
Jaime Melo: At the start it was very complicated and we had to work hard to improve the handling of the car. The team worked very well and stayed strong throughout the championship and I won four races on the way to the title.
Q: Did you decide to do European F3000 because the previously year’s champion,
Felipe Massa, went straight to F1?
Jaime Melo: No, it wasn’t because of that, it was purely because I couldn’t get the money to do the International F3000 series. I got an invitation from the team, they had faith in me and we lived up to each other’s expectations.
Q: What are your plans for the 2003 season? Who are you negotiating with?
Jaime Melo: I enjoyed my two races in the Telefonica World Seriesand now I’m seriously thinking about a full season in 2003. After all, it’s a Formula that has everything to turn a driver into a future star.
