Thursday 13 March 2025
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*Copyright image by Hasan Bratic. AusGP
Q & A
Dino Berganovic´ talks to L.A.Wilshaw about his Bosnian roots, plus his future hopes with the Scuderia.
"Special feeling" to drive the Ferrari.
"Special feeling" to drive the Ferrari.
F2 | Melbourne |
I caught up with Hitech driver, Dino Berganovic´ in the Formula 2 paddock, in Melbourne, to get to know him a little better.
The reason? Because out of all the junior drivers I’ve watched over the last five seasons, I believe he will make it to Formula 1, and succeed.
He’s been a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2020 and has just been announced as the Scuderia test driver for 2025 now that British driver, Oliver Bearman, has been promoted to the Haas F1 team.
You were born and raised in Sweden but your parents are from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and so you speak Bosnian and other languages?
I grew up in Sweden and I’m full-time Swedish. My parents are both from Bosnia and emigrated from the war back in (I think) ’92/’93.
Obviously with them, I’ve always spoken Bosnian. I learned that way and I’ve never really spoken Swedish with them. I learned Swedish in school, in Kindergarten and so on.
So, it was one language at home and a different one when I'd go to school.
But yeah, I’m living my full life in Sweden and now in Italy, speaking Italian now as well, so it’s nice.
Do you still have family in Bosnia that you visit?
I used to go, every year we used to go, until I think, 2019. That was the most recent time I went there.
We always had family there, grandparents and so on. But unfortunately we don’t have anyone, so that’s why we haven’t gone there since that.
I would like to go back because I have good memories and I still know all the places that my dad and my mum grew up, staying at my grandparents place. I think we’re planning to go at some point, hopefully this year. But with the schedule it’s difficult to plan something, but I hope to get it done this year.
Talking about family, your brother is also an athlete. He’s a football player?
Yeah, correct! He’s a football player. He [Emir] just signed in December, he signed his first professional contract.
We’re just super happy for him. I think he kind of takes me as an inspiration and motivation, you know, seeing me do my thing well, and climbing up the ladder; Giving him motivation to do well for him - pushing him forward.
It’s really nice to see him going his path, and I’m really proud of him of course.
"I think it is many young drivers dream to drive a Ferrari."
You’ve had quite a successful Karting career and also you won FRECA in 2022. Most of your single-seater career has been with PREMA, but you’ve just signed for Hitech in Formula 2. Why the change?
First of all I think the change has been very useful for me, having something new in life in general but also in the sport is important; Meeting new people and really feeling at home with Hitech, they’re a very professional team, a very high standard. I’m feeling very good here.
It really still feels at home with PREMA, it’s a family that I grew up with, since I moved to Italy when I was 16. They took care of me a lot, back then. And still we have a very good relationship.
I just felt a change. You know last year was very disappointing for different reasons and I felt it was time to change and I think it was best for my career and having a good taste of it in DAMS, where I learned a lot on F2 as a first taste, and now at Hitech to take the step is very nice.
[Berganovic´ took a THIRD place podium at the 2024 Yas Marina Sprint Race.]
Alpine have obviously got the links with Hitech [junior driver programme] but you’re remaining with the Ferrari Driver Academy, and you’ve done a Ferrari test as well, is that a conflict?
No, I’m focused on Hitech, on my plan in Hitech F2, and I’m focused on my path as a Ferrari junior as well.
Apart from Oli [Oakes] being the team owner and building up Hitech there’s nothing really in that, we focus on our stuff separately and that’s it.
*Copyright image by Hasan Bratic. AusGP
*Copyright image by Hasan Bratic. AusGP
Has it been tricky to get to know the Hitech car or is there quite a lot of similarities to the PREMA set up?
I haven’t driven the PREMA F2 car so it’s difficult to say but I feel at home with my Hitech car, I feel very comfortable.
It gives me a good feeling on how to drive. In my driving I feel supported, let’s say; So far so good. Let’s see now in the opening round in Australia.
What bothers you less, understeer or oversteer?
I think what bothers me less is understeer… But at the same time it’s a tough question. I like to have a supportive rear and being able to push the corners. I like to have a stable rear in entry and be able to carry the speeds.
Just go back to the Ferrari test in Barcelona, in January. How did it go for you?
I think it is many young drivers' dream to drive a Ferrari and it’s still an F1 driver’s dream to drive a Ferrari and to get to do it in my very first F1 test, I still think I haven’t sinked into it, and what happened that day.
It was honestly amazing seeing my name on the car and on the suit, it was a very special feeling and driving the car was very impressive how fast the F1 car goes; Breaking high speed and general the power of the car is very impressive.
It gives me more motivation to do well in F2 and have that as a full time thing to drive an F1 car. And it’s just positive after that test and I feel, like I said, more motivated to do it again.
"I really look up to Michael Schumacher, in his reign in Ferrari."
Lewis [Hamilton] said in this afternoon's press conference that he seems to have found a fondness for mentoring younger drivers. How does that feel from your point of view with Lewis now driving for Scuderia Ferrari, and potentially being a mentor to you?
First of all, it’s very nice to see Lewis in red. [Grins.]
I became a bigger fan after seeing that photo of him standing in front of Enzo Ferrari’s home. Just seeing him and how he works in the team, operating with all the guys, it’s just enjoyable to watch and inspiring to watch.
Obviously watching Charles [Leclerc] and Carlos [Sainz] do their thing and taking in a lot of what they’re doing, how they’re giving feedback to the engineers, how they operate; But just seeing Lewis, seven-time World Champion do the things, it’s for sure very inspiring; He seems to be at home as well in the Ferrari so far, and so hopefully he can keep that up into results this year. I’m really looking forward to seeing that. But at the moment he looks very enjoyable seeing him in that atmosphere.
Let's have some fun questions… Do you have a favourite road car and what is it?
Well, my dream road car is an F40, Ferrari F40. It’s just an amazing car. I’ve never driven one but stories I’ve heard because there’s no assists and it’s such an aggressive car it’s quite impressive, but other than that I like my car at the moment. It’s a Golf, it’s a red golf even, that one is nice.
Who’s your idol in F1, and who’s your idol not in F1/motor racing?
I really look up to Michael Schumacher, in his reign in Ferrari, in the 2000s; Being a huge fan of what he did then.
Still having people that work in the team now that worked with him back then, it’s cool to listen to all the stories - what he was able to do with the team, and motivate the team to win as much as he wanted to win is what I take out from him, and was my inspiration mainly.
And outside motor racing I think it must be some of my Balkan roots [Novak] Djokovic or also [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic´ I look up to a lot.
I have kind of the same background as Zlatan, his parents moved to Sweden, from Bosnia and Croatia - but as well as Djokovic coming from nothing and being the greatest tennis player of all time now in tennis, and still keeping up with the younger guys is impressive to see.
*Copyright image by Hasan Bratic. AusGP
What’s your favourite thing to do in your spare time?
Playing golf, that’s what I do. I’m a single handicap. I’m playing at 8 at the moment which was my goal for this year, so I’ve already achieved that which is nice.
But I really like it - it kind of gets me away from everything, you know racing and just everything general in life. Just focusing on that is very nice to have something besides. I really enjoy it.
Do you have a favourite course that you’ve played on or one that you might want to play on?
I would like to play Marco Simone [Golf and Country Club] in Rome, where they played the Ryder Cup two years ago, with my playing partner, James Wharton. We normally play quite a lot together.
He lives just one hour away from me in Italy and so it’s very easy to go together.
Let’s go back a few years to the pandemic, what is Team Wrongline?
Oh! ****!
How do you know about this? [Laughing.]
It started as a meme team let’s say, of Team Redline which is Max [Verstappen's] team now, because they are and were the biggest Esport team.
We were just joking around, me and my friends, together with one of the guys, he’s racing with Max’s GT3 team this year, Chris Lulham. He was also together with us in Wrongline but now he’s in Redline with Max, doing his GT3 racing ,so just a really fun thing. Really messing around with people in iRacing, that’s about it [laughing].
Hopefully there’s no record of that anywhere.
I really hope there is not, I really hope! [Laughs]
"Coming here to Australia
is a special feeling."
If you could get into a time-machine, where would you go back to and why?
I think to when I was in Karting, the first couple of years in Karting, because it was before I started to get into professional. I loved the part when it started to be professional, elite and going to Italy with a professional team. That’s kind of what motived me more in the sport and pushed me even more; While some people stop at that point, but me it motivated me more.
Going back even further, to when my dad was the mechanic, mum was cooking the food at the track like at the BBQ and my brother was just supporting me going to the races, I would say looking back at that I think that’s something I would like to see again.
Well, we’re in Australia and back to business… How do you think you’ll fair during this weekend?
I really like it because I've got memories from here, from last year wining the [Feature] race and it’s a circuit that generally gives opportunity to overtake and have a lot of DRS zones and straights, so I like the race.
I like the atmosphere from the fans and in general coming here to Australia is a special feeling.
Also to have it as an opening race of the season is very special actually. I really look forward - I got a first taste of F2 at the end of last year and it went very good so I hope to keep up on that and keep building on that - it will be the dream for the start of the season.
When you reach the heights of Formula 1 is there a circuit that you are really looking forward to racing on, that you don’t currently?
Suzuka. Must be Suzuka.
Everybody says that!
Because we don’t drive it. F1 drivers talk a lot of good things about it so it must be that.
I’ve driven it in the sim of course, it’s a very awesome track, even more so in F1 cars.
Dino is softly spoken and has a gentle manner, yet isn’t afraid to get his elbows out to win a race. Driving in the Formula 2 car will be a good test for the Hitech driver, and exhilarating for fans.
He’s well educated, speaking four languages, and has always had a few moments for me when I’ve asked for his time.
With unashamed bias, he’s one of my favourite drivers in the paddock.
Berganovic´ made his official Formula 1 debut this weekend in Bahrain, as he took to the wheel of Charles Leclerc’s SF-25 in the first free practice session of the weekend. He finished an impressive 14th.
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