Team Rookie Monsters: Aggressive philosophy and big vibes
- VFC-Media
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Team Rookie Monsters head into 2026 with plenty of confidence — but not without realism. During the pre-season, the team spent significant time analysing the new car, committed to a slightly more aggressive upgrade strategy, and still mapped out a development plan that leaves a healthy budget for the rest of the season. In this interview, Chris Gitsov and Robin Moelling share their approach, their expectations, and why the first real answers will only come once the racing begins.
Welcome to 2026! Now that we have been through the pre-season, how do you feel the team did?
Chris Gitsov:
“We are cooking them all. We spent some time during the pre-season analysing and learning the new car (mostly Robin doing so), and using the knowledge from the past season we decided to commit to a bit more aggressive strategy in terms of upgrades, while still having a nice development plan for the season, leaving us with a good budget to work with. Naturally though, we won’t know how we did until Melbourne — or even until the end of Q1 after we go through the different tracks — so it will be exciting!”
Anyone you’re particularly worried about?
Chris Gitsov:
“Nah, I got Robin to carry me. With a strong work ethic and skill, I am sure that we will be able to carry on with the season and achieve our goals — most importantly having good fun doing so.”
How do you prepare for a race? Do you have engineers? Or overlays?
Chris Gitsov:
“We just run on vibes, to be honest. We have pretty solid infrastructure from last year with testing and pre-race prep, but we will see how it goes this year. With Robin having an incredible run towards the end of last season, I hope to keep up with him and hopefully move up the ladder this year. As for engineers, I guess we’d run on our own or with someone from within our team to help us with info during the races. Anything else is just whatever info we get from rFactor. I personally try to adapt to whatever my rivals are doing and stick to the preparation.”
Gitsov’s tone is clear: confident — but fully aware that a pre-season plan only counts once it’s tested in direct comparison. While Chris highlights the balance between an aggressive strategy and a solid season budget, Robin brings the sporting context: realistic targets, track characteristics, and what consistency can achieve for a team that’s still building its identity.
Hello Robin, what are your goals for the season?
Robin Moelling: “Starting as a new team, it is always hard to set yourself goals, as you have to be realistic. I am still relatively new to VFC and a lot of teams and drivers have the advantage of having been around for longer. It would be foolish to expect a championship run or to challenge for the podium regularly. However, with Chris by my side as an experienced manager, taking all his skills over from Valle to RM, we should be set for a competitive season. Our goal is to have consistent top 10s with the chance of the odd podium. Ideally we try to maintain last season’s position in the constructors. As for my personal goals, I wanna do what I do best: consistency across the entire season. Not sexy but efficient. And if it is sexy at times, that would be nice, too.”
Are there any particular tracks you think your car will be particularly strong at?
Robin Moelling:
“Personally, I find that I seem to be performing best on technical circuits and street tracks. This has been a habit of mine for a few years. Given the path we have chosen for our car, I think we will do well on power circuits and tracks that favour low-speed characteristics — such as Miami, Monza, Montreal, Austria. It is very early for these predictions and the development will have to go a long way from here.”
How did you end up in VFC?
Robin Moelling:
“Good question. I think the path I have taken within rFactor 2 for the last couple of years has pushed me further and further into this kind of formula-style racing. Traditionally, I am more of an endurance guy. My friend and teammate Daniel, who is way more passionate about F1 cars than me, got himself a seat here and I enjoyed testing the car to fetch him a setup. I instantly noticed that this is not the regular F1-type formula that you get everywhere, but it allows you to explore strategy, setup, development much nicer than most other leagues. This has made it extremely rewarding investing my energy into this league. So, on one side you have the league and on the other you have those excellent relations already in place to friends like Daniel and Chris, which made it very appealing to commit to VFC fully and attack for 2026.”
Team Rookie Monsters combine a bold upgrade approach with a clear development plan — and, crucially, the intent to work smart across the season rather than rely on isolated highlights. Gitsov provides the swagger and mindset, Moelling the grounded objective: consistent top-10 finishes with the chance of the occasional step upward. How strong the package really is will only become clear once the race begins — but the foundations are in place: enough budget, a defined plan, and a duo that values both fun and structure as performance tools. Melbourne will be the first true benchmark — and from there, the real work starts: proving week after week that the pre-season wasn’t just talk, but something that holds up on track.
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