Angolan pilot Rui Andrade takes trophy to Presidential Palace

At the end of the meeting, the 22-year-old pilot said that he was proud to have been received by the Head of State and to be able to show what he has been doing in Europe to represent the country.

"I brought with me a jersey that we used to celebrate the European championship, which I made sure the President had one of the same and also a European champion's trophy I received after winning the championship, so that he could also see the trophy I received. . It was a pride to be here and to be welcomed by the President to be able to show what I have done to represent my country in Europe", said Rui Andrade.

From João Lourenço, Rui Andrade received praise for his victory in the European Championship and words of encouragement for his journey. "First of all, he congratulated me for this year's title and told me that it is a pride for everyone to have an Angolan representing the country in Europe, as I tried to do this year," he said.

About the race, the professional driver explained that it was a difficult championship, as it had high-level competitors. "We knew it was going to be a very difficult race and we weren't expecting it to run like it did. We knew that the level of competition was going to be very high, in fact the car that came in second had two very high level drivers. I always insisted on carrying it. the Angola flag with me, on my suit and helmet, and when I was able to take it to the podium. It's a huge honor," he added.

The Angolan pilot arrived at the Presidential Palace accompanied by his father, politician Rui Falcão, and even advanced some of his plans for next year: "We have already started the winter tests and the preparation for next year. My objective will be to compete in the championship of next year. world and our focus is, obviously, to win again", he referred.

The driver aspires to reach the Formula 1 championship, despite considering it very difficult to reach this level of competition. "To reach Formula 1 requires a lot of economic support. And there's a lot of politics behind it. So it's very difficult to reach that level, but obviously with the results we've had, we can't give up on our dream. That continues to be the case. my focus. It's hard to give a date for when this might happen, but we'll continue to work so that it can happen someday," he argued.

Rui Andrade started his journey in karting, or motor racing, in Namibe province when he was 13 years old. After a few years, he participated in the national championship, as a runner in the province of Benguela, and became champion in 2017. Soon after, he started competing in the Formula 4 category, in Europe, having also participated in the Asian championship in this same category. and two years later in the Formula 3 category, also in Europe.