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Category: F2
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Lundgaard takes F2 Sprint win; Daruvla finishes P9
Spielberg, 12 July 2020: Christian Lundgaard became the fourth new winner in Formula 2, and the third rookie to do so this season, taking a dominant Sprint Race victory from third at the Red Bull Ring here on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Indian racer Jehan Daruvala of Carlin finally moved into the top-10 taking P9 in the Sprint race today.
The Danish racer propelled himself ahead of his teammate, Marcus Armstrong, off the line and then claimed the scalp of reverse polesitter Dan Ticktum a lap later. From there, he never looked like handing back the lead.
Ticktum and Armstrong held on to P2 and P3 for their second podiums of the season, ahead UNI-Virtuosi’s Guanyu Zhou and Callum Ilott.
After such a successful Saturday, Feature Race front two Robert Shwarztman and Yuki Tsunoda both suffered from retirements in the Sprint Race, as did Mick Schumacher, whose frustrating start to the season continued.
Nikita Mazepin enjoyed his best race of the season so far, climbing from fourteenth to eighth to earn his first points finish of 2020.
AS IT HAPPENED
Having seen the Feature Race delayed by more than an hour on Saturday due to the wet conditions, Lundgaard was in a hurry to get on with things on Sunday in the dry. The Dane sprung off the line from third, getting the better of his teammate, Armstrong.
Reverse polesitter Ticktum got away smoothly but didn’t have the pace to build up any form of gap and was quickly under pressure from the ART Grand Prix driver. Lundgaard set the fastest lap on his first tour and quickly closed in on the DAMS’ driver, before making a late, committed lunge for first to eek ahead through the smallest of gaps at the first turn.
Gaining the advantage of DRS, Ticktum attempted to claw the position back at the second and third corners, but ran out of room and was forced to back off.
By the time Lundgaard took the lead, the field had lost its front two drivers from the Feature Race. Shwartzman spun in the middle of the pack on the first lap, seemingly losing grip down the straight. Those behind him done well to avoid the PREMA, whose race was over. A lap later and Tsunoda was gone too. The Carlin driver lost power and dropped to the back of the grid, before being forced to retire.
Lundgaard extended his lead at the front to three seconds, leaving those behind him to squabble amongst themselves. Schumacher made an elegant move on Armstrong for the final podium position, leaving it late to squeeze ahead with the aid of DRS. But, he did not sit there for long, as the fire extinguisher in his car accidentally went off and he was forced to head back to the pits to retire.
Nikita Mazepin hadn’t enjoyed the greatest of starts to 2020 and failed to score points for the third race in a row on Saturday, finishing 14th. The Russian enjoyed a better time of things on Sunday, shooting up to eighth to take the final points’ position.
It was a similarly successful morning for Jack Aitken and Sean Gelael, who rose three places each to sixth and seventh.
It wasn’t quite such a strong day for Callum Ilott. The Briton lost fourth to Guanyu Zhou at the start, and despite piling on the pressure late in the race, he could not win back the position. His teammate reacted to the challenge by getting within a second of Armstrong in third, enabling him to use DRS and defend.
Lundgaard crossed the line unopposed, with Ticktum unable to challenge the Dane for the race lead. Armstrong finished third, more than 8s back, with Zhou and Ilott completing the top five.
Despite suffering a DNF, Shwartzman holds on to first in the Drivers’ Championship on 48 points, five ahead of Lundgaard and Ilott. Ticktum moves up to fourth, ahead of Armstrong. In the Teams’ Championship, ART Grand Prix are first with 77 points, ahead of UNI-Virtuosi on 70 and PREMA Racing on 62. DAMS are fourth and MP Motorsport sixth.
KEY QUOTE – CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD (ART GRAND PRIX)
“Good day today with the race win. Yesterday I ruined it a bit more myself by taking a trip through the gravel. To be on the podium with Marcus (Armstrong) is good. I am here now though and I am happy.
“I am looking forward to next week. I have been strong in Budapest so far in my career, so I hope to get the best out of the car so that we can maximise the results.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
F2 will depart Spielberg after two weeks of racing in the Styrian mountains and head to Budapest in Hungary. Ilott will look to wrestle back the Championship lead from Shwartzman.
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Shwartzman wins as Tsunoda takes P2; Daruvala P12
Spielberg, 11 July 2020: Ferrari junior Robert Shwartzman proved unstoppable on the wet in Spielberg, clawing his way from sixth on the grid to take his first-ever victory in FIA Formula 2.
The PREMA racer’s win denied fellow rookie, and Red Bull Academy driver, Yuki Tsunoda a first win of his own in F2. The polesitter led for the majority of the race, but an issue with team radio saw him pit too late and drop down to fifth. Meanwhile, Indian racer Jehan Daruvala lost a chance to finish P8 and a pole on the reverse grid for the Sprint race on Sunday. “Only my self to blame… Threw away points and reverse grid pole for tomorrow. I am really angry with myself, but now I can’t change it. So will keep my head up and try to fight back tomorrow,” said Daruvala.
Despite a late charge on the fresher tyres, he wasn’t able to recover first and instead had to settle for second, and a maiden podium.
Guanyu Zhou led the race when Tsunoda pitted late on, but had the opposite issue to the Carlin racer, having changed his tyres too early. Zhou’s rubber wasn’t strong enough to hold off Shwartzman and he ended up in third ahead Mick Schumacher, who had done brilliantly to rise from ninth after a tough Qualifying session.
Marcus Armstrong was another to perform brilliantly around the Red Bull Ring after a tough day on Friday. The ART Grand Prix driver qualified 12th and managed to climb to seventh, just behind his teammate Christian Lundgaard, and Callum Ilott.
AS IT HAPPENED
Wet weather put the Feature Race into doubt as rain poured down onto the Red Bull Ring. The initial formation laps tested the conditions before race control deemed it unsafe and ordered them back into the pits. This delayed the start by over an hour as they waited for the conditions to ease.
Race Director Silvia Bellot deemed it dry enough for a safety car start shortly after 18:30 local time, and the grid headed out onto the track. The rain eased somewhat, and the safety car returned to the pits after four laps, at which point racing finally got underway. Tsunoda was put under instant pressure from Zhou, but managed to hold the position around the first turn.
The only change to the order on the opening lap saw Jack Aitken edge ahead of Luca Ghiotto for fourth. Tsunoda was attempting to build a gap between himself and Zhou, but despite the drying conditions, was struggling to find the grip, with the Lauda section remaining particularly wet.
Lundgaard was revelling in the rain, finding excellent traction to push ahead of Shwarztman, and then fire past Ghiotto and into fifth. Aitken looked to be within his reach, but a slight wobble gave the Campos driver space to breathe.
Having been passed by Lundgaard, Ghiotto was then under threat from Shwartzman as well, who was remaining patient in his attempts to overtake. He eyed up several moves on the Italian but opted against the risk until lap 15, when he finally lunged ahead at Turn 6. The PREMA racer made the move just in time to follow Lundgaard ahead of Aitken for fourth and fifth.
Zhou and Ilott were amongst the first of the front runners to box on laps 22 and 23, with many of the field looking to stay out longer. The pair returned in sixth and seventh, believing that they could fire through the field and build a gap at the front, when the remainder changed their rubber.
The majority chose to change their boots a few laps later and Carlin told their race leader to follow suit, but Tsunoda remained out, seemingly ignoring team orders. When the same thing happened on the following lap, the team quickly realised that there was a fault with the team radio and dashed to the pitwall, to give him the instructions in person.
This put the Red Bull junior’s race win in doubt. He had lost chunks of time to Zhou and Ilott and returned back in fifth. The select few drivers who had opted to remain out pitted and handed Zhou the lead.
The Chinese driver and his teammate Ilott were under pressure from Shwartzman who had the fresher rubber. The Russian proved too strong and both were passed within the space of a lap.
Returning in fifth with just five laps to go, the win looked to have been lost for Tsunoda, but the Carlin racer was hounding down those ahead of him in a desperate attempt to claw back P1. First, he dispatched of Ilott, and then he eased ahead of Zhou. Shwarztman was 3s ahead of him, and time was swiftly running out, but this wouldn’t stop Tsunoda from trying.
It wasn’t the only late dash going on either. The second PREMA of Schumacher was also on fresher tyres and sprinted into third, with a tidy move on Ilott, before locking in on Zhou.
Back out at the front, Tsunoda managed to get within a second of P1 on the final lap, but he couldn’t quite get within range to make a lunge on Shwarztman, allowing the Russian driver to run over the line for his first win.
Zhou completed the podium behind them in third, just about staving off the threat of Schumacher. Ilott took fifth and Lundgaard sixth, ahead of his teammate Armstrong. Dan Ticktum finished eighth, with Aitken in ninth and Sean Gelael tenth.
Shwartzman’s win hands him first in the Drivers’ Championship, with 48 points, ahead of Ilott on 37. Lundgaard moves up to third on 26, ahead of Armstrong, Tsunoda and Ticktum, who are all on 24. In the Teams’ Championship, PREMA lead with 62 points, ahead of UNI-Virtuosi on 56 and ART Grand Prix on 50. MP Motorsport are fourth, followed by DAMS.
KEY QUOTE – ROBERT SHWARTZMAN (PREMA RACING)
“I am super happy to finish first, and I couldn’t have expected that result from the start. The beginning was really tough, and I had some issues with the car after the restart.
“There was a lot of rain coming down on the visor and I couldn’t see much, but slowly the rain started to go away and I started to pick up the pace and get ahead of a few cars. From P4, we done a really great strategy, so a massive thanks to the team, who were really quick on the pit
“We exited behind Zhou and he was really fast, but he started to lose grip and we had an interesting fight. I got passed him and took the provisional leading position, but my engineer told me that Yuki was really quick, so I couldn’t rest or relax.
“I saw him coming and the last give laps were really intense, because I started to lose the rear grip. Thankfully, Yuki was struggling a bit by then too, which saved me.
“I am really happy and really thankful to everyone who was watching and all of my fans. Also, to my team, SMP Racing and the FDA, but the biggest thanks goes to my dad, who was watching me from up there, so I hope that he is happy.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Ticktum will be eying his first F2 win from reverse grid pole in the Sprint Race tomorrow at 11.10am (local time) that is 2.40pm IST.
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Jehan Daruvala clocks third-fastest time in Free Practice
Spielberg (Austria), 10 July 2020: Yuki Tsunoda topped Free Practice around the Red Bull Ring for the second round in a row, ahead of a much-improved Nikita Mazepin for Hitech Grand Prix, and his Carlin teammate, the Indian ace Jehan Daruvala.
The sun was beaming down for the first session of Round 2, with track temperatures hitting 52 degrees in Spielberg. You would have expected the tyres to heat up pretty quickly, and yet there appeared to be a real lack of grip in the opening stages with both Marcus Armstrong and Mick Schumacher spinning on their flying laps.
Yuki Tsunoda of Carlin who set the fastest time in the Free Practice on Friday. An FIA F2 image The ART Grand Prix racer was able to get back onto the track, but Schumacher wasn’t as lucky. The German ended up in the gravel, which brought out a red flag and ended his session before it had even really begun.
The return to track was a lot more successful as Nobuharu Matsushita set the first meaningful lap of the afternoon, before Round 1 Feature Race winner Callum Ilott took P1, with a time of 1:16.462.
Carlin’s rookie pairing of Tsunoda and Daruvala had both looked quick in Free Practice last weekend, but were unable to translate that into Qualifying. This clearly hadn’t knocked their confidence, as the pair rose to first and second with Tsunoda dipping under the 1m 16s barrier for the first time on Friday afternoon.
Mazepin suffered a frustrating first round of the season, failing to score any points on his debut for Hitech Grand Prix. The Russian appears to be in a much stronger position for Round 2 though, as he broke up the two Carlin machines to nestle into P2.
Very little would change in the remaining 15 minutes, as teams appeared to focus on gathering data and undertaking longer runs.
The grid will switch from the medium to the supersoft Pirelli’s for Qualifying, which takes place today at 5pm local time.
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Jehan looking confident ahead of Round 2: Formula 2
Spielberg (Austria), 10 July 2020: India ace Jehan Daruvala is looking forward confidently to the second round of the FIA Formula 2, as the campaign returns to the Red Bull Ring here with Free PRactice on Friday and is positive that he would be able to realise the potential of the Carlin cars which showed the capability for great pace. In the Free Practice today, the Carlin cars showed that they have the pace to be in the forefront and the team which took both the rookies this year, with Daruvala having Yuki Tsunoda as his teammate, will be making amends to show some good results, what with the pace they have shown in Round 1 last week.
Tsunoda took P1 in the Free Practice last time around and if things go well Carlin has the potential to put its drivers on the top in the feature race tomorrow.
IN LAST WEEK’S RACE
At one point it looked as if all of the pre-race prophecies would be coming true. Guanyu Zhou led an all-second year front three of himself, Callum Ilott and Mick Schumacher, with highly rated rookie duo Marcus Armstrong and Robert Shwartzman following.
But this is F2 after all, so it was never going to play out like that was it? Zhou and Schumacher both dropped out of contention late on, allowing the 2019 F3 frontrunners a debut podium.
But the Carlin drivers, Daruvala and Tsunoda are looking to fight back and make amends.
CARLIN
Carlin didn’t quite hit the same heights in 2019 as they did in 2018, when they were crowned teams’ champions. They showed plenty of pace, and took two impressive victories, but struggled with consistency, and at times, bad luck.
They took a risk for 2020 in signing two rookie drivers to their rostrum, but Free Practice suggested they could surprise a few, as Yuki Tsunoda took P1. Things got a bit more challenging from here though, and ultimately, neither Tsunoda, nor Jehan Daruvala would score a point in Round 1.
FP was proof that the team are quick though, and if they can translate that into race pace this weekend, then they’ll be a force to reckon with.
DARUVALA SPEAKS
About his Racing style
“I tend to push corner entries a lot and I like to push the brakes, so that is probably the biggest difference in my style to others. Normally, I am quite smooth and there is not too much hustling going on, but I try to drive as close to the limit as possible.”
His First racing memory
“When I was a kid, I used to always watch Formula 1 on tv with my family. It was a family Sunday tradition that we used to do together – I was always a fan of speed and racing.”
“I was maybe around seven, and my sister and father were at a go karting track, just 10 -15 minutes away from my house – that was my first experience of seeing a go-kart. I was too small to actually drive back then, so I took two pillows and sat with them in the seat, so I could reach the pedals. That was the first time that I drove a go kart and that is when I felt the adrenaline and wanted to take it up as a sport.”
Jehan Daruvala’s Racing hero
“My racing hero is Fernando Alonso. He was my idol when I was young, and I used to watch him on TV. I used to always watch how he was driving, because no matter what the situation was, or what car he was in, he always got the maximum out of it, always pushed it to the limit. For that main reason, he has been my inspiration since I was very young.”
His favourite track on the F2 calendar
“My favourite Formula 2 track would be Spa-Francorchamps. From my past experiences of the track, I am a really big fan of the layout. It has a combination of slow, medium and high-speed corners, and it is also the longest track on the calendar, so it is, all in all, my favourite track. It consists of everything and it is fun for us drivers because you have a lot of opportunities to overtake, so it brings good racing. It is good for the drivers and the fans.”
Daruvala’s greatest racing achievement
“I think that I have a couple of biggest achievements to be honest., it is hard to particularly choose one. I think in karting, it was when I came third in the CIK-FIA World Championship. I also see the 2019 season as an achievement, in FIA F3, when I finished third. That was probably my most competitive season in car racing and it is probably one of the most competitive grids that I have been a part of. Those are probably the two biggest achievements of my career so far.”
The 2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship is set for more excitement this weekend as the paddock returns to the Red Bull Ring in Austria for Round 2.
WHEN TO WATCH All times IST (GMT +5.30)
Friday Free Practice: 16:25 – 17:15
Qualifying: 20:30 – 21:00 Press conference: 21:45
Saturday Feature race: 20:15 (40 laps) Press conference: 21:35
Sunday Sprint race: 14:14 (28 laps) Press conference: 15:45
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Drugovich wins Sprint race; Daruvala ends up P16, vows to fight back
Spielberg (Austria), 5 July 2020: Felipe Drugovich capped off a sublime debut weekend in FIA Formula 2 by clinching his first victory in the Championship at the Red Bull Ring, in just his second race at this level. He won the Sprint race on Sunday ahead of Louis Deletraz.
Indian racing driver Jehan Daruvala had a forgettable weekend as he failed to get into the points in the Sprint race after a no-points finish at P12 in the opening Feature race on Friday. The Red Bull Junior programme driver and his teammate Tsunodo had both had two off days for their team Carlin, but with the back-to-back racing weekend, they look to make amends next Saturday and Sunday at the same venue. Daruvala pledged to make a strong comeback and with the car showing enough pace, all his Indian fans will be looking forward for a strong return to points. “It is a weekend to forget, and it was a tough race today. Will work hard and we will do our best to fight back next weekend for Round 2,” quipped the Mumbai-born driver in his tweet after finishing a disappointing P16 in the Sprint Race.
The Brazilian drove like a seasoned F2 contender, belying his lack of experience in the Championship and overcoming not just one, but three race restarts as the safety car got plenty of laps under it’s belt.
Indian ace Jehan Daruvala who finished P16 on Sunday vows to fightback next weekend in Round 2. A JD twitter image. Not even the pressure of the experienced Louis Delétraz breathing down his neck could unsettle the Brazilian, who rarely looked under the threat.
Enjoying his second front-row start in as many races, Drugovich took the lessons learned from a difficult debut on Saturday, when he struggled to defend, and put them to practice perfectly with an assured performance.
Delétraz would be forced to settle for second, while Dan Ticktum took his first ever podium in F2, benefitting from Marcus Armstrong’s woes, with the ART Grand Prix racer forced to retire from third.
Still reeling from his mistake on Saturday which cost him P2, Mick Schumacher will be pleased to have made up for this in part, taking his first points of the season in P6.
Feature Race winner Callum Ilott won’t be as happy with his second race of the year, losing the final points’ position to Jack Aitken, who had clawed his way up from 15th on the grid.
AS IT HAPPENED
Drugovich enjoyed the cleanest of getaways off the line, shrugging off an attack from Delétraz to sprint off into the distance. The Charouz racer was left to contend with Ticktum, as the DAMS racer pulled up alongside him.
The Swiss just about kept his place before Armstrong got him out of jail and stole the attention of Ticktum. The Kiwi had already claimed three places at the start and took a fourth with his lunge on the Briton.
Alesi was forced to pull over onto the grass from sixth as the back of his machine went up in smoke, bringing out the first safety car of the morning. There would be a second visit in quick succession, as Sean Gelael pulled over as well just as the safety car was getting ready to head back into the pits.
When the safety car did finally head back in, Drugovich aced his restart and pulled away without an inch of doubt. Delétraz was forced to fight off Armstrong, just about clinging onto P2.
The safety car would be required for a third time shortly after, as Ghiotto was spun around and beached himself on the gravel. Guanyu Zhou just about managed to swing around the spinning Hitech machine, but was forced wide and dropped to the back off the grid.
Once again, Drugovich nailed his restart, not even giving Delétraz a sniff of the race lead. Still, he’d need to do it for a third time as Armstrong became the race’s next casualty, losing power while in third place. Still Drugovich remained unfazed, holding off Delétraz when racing resumed once more.
With just a few laps remaining, the only movement in the top ten would come from Aitken, whose lunge ahead of Ilott handed him his first points of the season, after a tough opening weekend.
Drugovich was the first across the line, ahead of Delétraz and Ticktum. Shwartzman followed up P3 in the Feature Race with P4, ahead of Christian Lundgaard, Nobuharu Matsushita, Schumacher and Aitken.
Ilott leads the Drivers’ Championship after the first round with 27 points, four ahead of Robert Shwartzman with Drugovich sitting third, followed by Ticktum and Delétraz. In the Teams’ table, ART Grand Prix lead with 36 points, ahead of UNI-Virtuosi on 31 and MP Motorsport on 27. PREMA sit fourth ahead of DAMS In fifth.
THE KEY QUOTE – FELIPE DRUGOVICH (MP MOTORSPORT)
“I came out with a win and I am really, really, really happy with it. We made some big improvements from yesterday with the car and I improved a lot from yesterday with my driving.
“I am really happy with it. We had some issues yesterday and we were expecting a lot more after the Quali that we had, but today, I think that we got the job done.
“The car was awesome, and I could push how I wanted, so I am really happy and thankful to the team.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
The paddock will remain in the picturesque surroundings of Spielberg for the second round of the Championship next weekend. Shwartzman will look to pile the pressure onto fellow Ferrari junior Ilott from second following an impressive debut weekend.
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Jehan Daruvala finishes P12 in debut F2 race; Illot wins
Spielberg (Austria), 4 July 2020: Indian ace Jehan Daruvala of Carlin Racing team had a bad day as he suffered a spin early in the race and despite some fighting-laps had finished out of points at P12 in his first F2 race on Saturday. Callum Illot of UNI-Virtuosi Racing won the first F2 race.
However, the Mumbai-born 21-year old Red Bull Junior driver is keeping a positive approach and looking forward to making amends in the Sprint Race on Sunday. Jehan’s teammate and the other Red Bull Junior driver Yuki Tsunoda too finished outside points. The Carlin team had a bad outing as they also messed up Tsunodo’s pit stop. “P12 today… A real shame as we had good speed but got spun-around at T3 on the first lap. Anyway, tomorrow is a new day and we will try to fight back as much as possible. I am going into the Sprint with a positive mind,” said Jehan Daruvala after the race.
The F2 races are being held along with the Formula 1 races and the grid has eight rookie drivers. The Sprint Race on Sunday will begin at 2.40 pm IST and Drugovich will start on the reverse grid pole.
Jehan Daruvala of India finishes P12 in his F2 debut race but looks forward for a good outing in the Sprint on Sunday. A Carlin team photo Callum Ilott steered clear of trouble to seal his maiden FIA Formula 2 win in a dramatic first race of the season. The UNI-Virtuosi racer was joined in the top three by fellow Ferrari juniors Marcus Armstrong and Robert Shwarztman, with the duo taking podiums in their F2 debuts.
Ilott spent the majority of the race in a dogfight with teammate Guanyu Zhou and fellow Ferrari Academy member Mick Schumacher, but saw the duo plummet to the back of the grid late on. Both would finish out of the points as Zhou suffered from mechanical issues, before Schumacher
made a mistake and went wide. Their problems handed Armstrong – who had started in 13th – a shot at the podium on his first F2 start and the ART Grand Prix racer duly delivered. Behind him, Shwartzman was handed third and despite his best efforts, couldn’t get past his former F3 teammate.
Christian Lundgaard also impressed on his first start for ART, with the rookie taking fourth ahead of Dan Ticktum. Behind them, Giuliano Alesi enjoyed a sublime race in the BWT HWA RACELAB machine, rising from 18th to sixth. Fellow rookie Felipe Drugovich, who had begun on the front row, dropped back to eighth but will start the Sprint Race on reverse grid pole as a result.Callum Illot after winning the first F2 race of the season. A Formula Motorsport photo An all Ferrari driver (FDA) podium
The FDA made its mark on the first FIA Formula 2 race of the year. Drivers from the Scuderia Ferrari young driver programme monopolised the podium with Callum Ilott taking his first win in the category. Marcus Armstrong and Robert Shwartzman finished on the podium at their very first attempt, driving for ART Grand Prix and Prema respectively. Ilott, driving for UNI Virtuosi Racing built his win in the opening moments, with an almost perfect start that took him into the lead from third on the grid. The 21-year-old Brit had a long scrap with his Chinese team-mate Guan Yu Zhou, before pitting for Hard tyres on lap 18. Seven laps later Callum was back in the lead and then managed a Safety Car period to perfection to finish the 40 lap race eight seconds ahead of Marcus Armstrong.
A delighted Callum. “It’s my first race with UNI Virtuosi Racing and to win first time out with a new team is always special,” he said. “In some moments I pushed hard and it was fantastic to immediately find the right rhythm with the car and at that point I knew I could have a good race. During the lockdown I tried to keep in shape, because last year I realised how important that is in a series as competitive as Formula 2 and I’m very happy to have started my season in the best possible way. There’s a long way to go, but for now, I’m going to enjoy this great day.”
Great rookies! Marcus Armstrong and Robert Shwartzman were second and third respectively past the chequered flag, split by just four tenths of a second. The 19-year-old New Zealander started from 13th and, with his ART team engineers, decided to go for an early pit stop, being the first to change tyres and once back on track, he pushed a lot on the hard tyres making the most of a free track ahead of him. Once the pit stops were over, Marcus was up to third, behind Ilott and Mick Schumacher and when the German made a mistake he came up behind Ilott. In the final laps, the Armstrong-Shwartzman train caught everyone’s attention, but their duel was fair with no risks taken by the FDA rookies.
The right strategy. “I’m pleased and surprised,” commented Marcus. “Because after qualifying hadn’t gone to plan I didn’t think I’d finish my first Formula 2 race on the podium. We went for a different strategy, because of course no one knows much about the 18 inch tyres yet and in the end it worked out very well. In the final laps I suffered a bit because the tyres were now on the limit, but the Safety Car meant I could let them cool down a bit and that was a lucky break.”
Off on the right foot. Shwartzman, the reigning FIA F3 champion, also ended his first F2 race on the podium. “A great result, as I was up with the leaders right from the start and it wasn’t a bad feeling,” commented Prema’s Russian driver. “The team did a good job at the pit stop, but when I was back on track, I had to get the tyres up to temperature and I didn’t want to take any risks with Marcus right at the end. But it’s my first race in the category, so not bad to start with a third place. It’s going to be a tough season so it was good to get off on the right foot.”
Unlucky Mick. Mick Schumacher was out of luck today, after a technical problem had slowed him down during free practice before he qualified fifth. In the race the 21-year-old German had a strong pace and was fighting for the win up until nine laps from the flag when he went off track, dropping from second to 11th place.
A great comeback for Giuliano. Giuliano Alesi had to fight all race long, after a brake balance problem in qualifying meant the Frenchman started from 18th on the grid. Giuliano went for a different strategy to the rest of the field, starting on the hards before switching to the softs for the final third of the race. It paid off, as Alesi was able to fight his way up to sixth thanks to a great pace in the final part of the race. It means he will start the 24 lap Race 2 from third on the grid. -
Zhou takes F2 pole; Jehan to start P6
Spielberg (Austria), 3 July 2020: Uni Virtuosi Racing’s Guanyu Zhou, the Renault Junior, set the tone for the inaugural F2 race here, taking the pole position ahead of Felipe Drugovich of MP Motorsport but the Feature Race on Saturday will tell if the Chinese can translate his one-lap pace to race win.
The Indian ace, the 21-year old Jehan Daruvala, will start on P6 for the Feature race behind C Illot, C Lundgaard and Mich Schumacher who finished from P3 to P5, in that order. “P6 is a positive start to my first FIA F2 race and I am really looking forward to the feature race tomorrow because the pace for the front row is definitely there but I could not do the second run because of yellow and red flags,” said the Mumbai-born after the qualifier.
Zhou, the Renault junior is hoping to buck the trend become China’s first F1 driver. Having finished 2019 as F2’s leading rookie, but the season offers a new machine with wider tyres and is anybody’s guess.
The Mumbai-born Indian Jehan who started to fight with Zhou in the initial stages was in the top-3 till the end but finally had to settle for P6 clocking 1:15:028 as yellow flags prevented the last lap push.
Guanyu Zhou got his title challenge off to the perfect start in Spielberg, sealing his second pole position in FIA Formula 2 with a stunning Qualifying performance around the Red Bull Ring.
Zhou celebrates after taking F2 pole in Spielberg on Friday. An FIA F2 image Behind the Renault junior, there will be a surprise front-row start for rookie Felipe Drugovich, who has enjoyed a superb start to life with MP Motorsport, already qualifying higher in F2 than he did in Formula 3 last season. British outfit UNI-Virtuosi appear to be the team to beat in Austria, with Zhou’s teammate Callum Ilott completing the top three.
Free Practice pacesetter Yuki Tsunoda picked up from where he left off at the start of this afternoon’s session, setting the early pace around the Red Bull Ring. The Carlin driver’s position at the top was short-lived though, as he was soon pipped by his teammate, Jehan Daruvala, and Zhou.
Further back, Giuliano Alesi pushed the limits of the circuit too far and spun off the track, which forced him back to the pits and put his Qualifying session on hold, although he would later return. Zhou had no such issues, taking the time under 1m 15s to climb above Daruvala and into P1.
The field dived into the pits for fresh soft tyres, but their subsequent return to the track was only fleeting, as Marino Sato spun onto the gravel for the second time today and brought out a red flag.
Drugovich had shown potential in Free Practice with a P6 finish, but improved even more in Qualifying to squeeze in a fast lap just ahead of the red flag, which fired him to third.
Just five minutes remained when the lights went green and Christian Lundgaard saw a challenge on Zhou fall just short, with the ART man’s time only good enough for P2. Despite holding onto first, the Chinese racer raised his game, setting two purple sectors to improve his laptime and further cement P1.
Drugovich continued to surprise in the MP Motorsport machine and fired ahead of Lundgaard for second, followed closely by Zhou’s teammate Ilott, whose own tour of the Red Bull Ring took him third.
Jehan Daruvala on way to P6 on Friday. Photo Jehan Daruvala Time remained for one more lap, and each of Louis Deletraz, Jack Aitken and Tsunoda had all posted purple first sectors, only to be thwarted by a yellow flag when Nikita Mazepin spun out.
That left Zhou to ease his way back to the pits and claim the first pole of 2020 ahead of Drugovich and Ilott. Lundgaard and Mick Schumacher took fourth and fifth, ahead of Daruvala, Luca Ghiotto, Robert Shwartzman, Dan Ticktum and Delétraz.
Zhou will be looking for his maiden victory in F2 when the lights go out in the Feature Race tomorrow, at 4.45pm (local time).
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Jehan finishes 8th in Free Practice; teammate Tsunoda fastest
Spielberg, 3 July 2020: Indian Ace Jehan Daruvala finished eighth in the Free Practice as F2 began with along with F1 this afternoon. But it was his teammate, the other Red Bull junior, Yuki Tsunoda, impressed in his first-ever FIA Formula 2 session at the Red Bull Ring, finishing a surprise first ahead of more-experienced challengers in Free Practice.
The Carlin rookie climbed to P1 at the halfway mark and his time of 1:15.249 wouldn’t be bettered, with Hitech Grand Prix’s Luca Ghiotto in second and ART Grand Prix rookie Marcus Armstrong in third.
The cars fed out onto the track at the first opportunity, having endured seven months without a competitive session. A few minor damp patches remained from the early morning downpour, but the track had more than dried enough for the slicks.
Tsunoda’s teammate Jehan Daruvala set the day’s initial flying lap, but it was Mick Schumacher who posted the first fast time in the PREMA, lapping at 1:16.597. Daruvala then leapt back into first, before fellow rookie Felipe Drugovich took a turn at the top.
Renault juniors Christian Lundgaard and Guanyu Zhou began a battle for P1 and exchanged fastest times as they fired under 1m 16s. It was from here that Tsunoda took control. The Red Bull junior showed no rustiness to beat the Renault pairing, and top a front five made up of three rookies.
The session was brought to a brief halt as Marino Sato spun and brought out a red flag, but little would change when they got back underway. Tsunoda remained first, with Luca Ghiotto taking second, just 0.054s slower. Armstrong would seal third as Free Practice came to a close, followed by Zhou and Lundgaard. Drugovich, Robert Shwartzman, Daruvala, Sean Gelael and Louis Deletraz would complete the top ten.
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Jehan Daruvala excited to make F2 debut with Carlin
Spielberg (Austria), 30 June 2020: India’s top racing driver Jehan Daruvala, who was signed up by the Red Bull team last February for their Junior programme is excited to begin the 2020 season as he makes his Formula 2 debut after a successful F3 in 2019. The first round will be held along with the first Formula 1 race of the season, the Rolex Grosser Preis Von Osterreich, here this weekend.
“It’s race week and it has been a long wait for everyone and I’m really excited to get my debut season in the FIA F2 championship this week in Austria,” tweeted the Indian ace, who is billed as the best chance to be the next Indian F1 driver.
Unlike 2019, F3 teammates Robert Shwartzman and Marcus Armstrong, Jehan Daruvala didn’t come up through the ranks at PREMA Racing and into F3, but he did stand out to them when they were looking at their options for 2019 and they wanted him to be a part of their project.
He repaid their faith in him tenfold, winning two of the opening four races and quickly establishing himself as a title challenger.
While he would eventually falter to the dominant Shwartzman and finish third in the Championship, he had earned his shot at F2. He has been given a chance by his former European F3 team Carlin, while also being snapped up by the Red Bull Driver Academy.
Excels at testing
Earlier in March, Daruvala excelled in the pre-season testing. “At the end of the day it’s a race car, so you push it to the limit.” Jehan Daruvala is in no doubt as to how he’ll approach his maiden FIA Formula 2 race, and after a dazzling display in pre-season testing, who can blame him?
Stepping up from Formula 3, the Carlin rookie was a surprise package in the testing stint in Sakhir in March. The Indian made his first ever appearance in F2 machinery around the Bahrain International Circuit, but you’d not have guessed it.
Finishing third on Day 1 and first on Day 2, Daruvala found instant harmony with the car, and the new 18-inch Pirelli tyres.
“It feels very good, I am quite happy with how things went,” an elated Daruvala said on that day. “It took me some time to get used to the turbo and stuff during the first morning, but once you find the limit, it feels good.
Divine Leveller
“I think that it’s going to be a big learning curve with the new rims, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
The new tyres could play the role of divine leveller in F2 this season, putting rookies on more of an even playing field with the experienced drivers in the paddock. Daruvala appreciates this more than most, having never previously driven on the old ones in F2 – the Indian was forced to sit out the post-season tests in Abu Dhabi due to a training injury.
“It does change some characteristics,” he explained. “It’s a bit easier to lock tyres and harder on traction. I obviously hadn’t driven the car before, but that is what the engineers are telling me,” he told F2 webstie in March.
“It is new for everyone though, so hopefully the rookies have less of a disadvantage. We had a lot of driving over the three days, so there was time to learn and get ready for Round 1.”
The 21-year-old finished third in F3 last season with Team Champions PREMA Racing, forming a prolific partnership with Italians. He notched two wins and seven podiums, narrowly missing out on the title in final round.
For 2020, he is back with his old European F3 team, Carlin, and has also been snapped up by the Red Bull Driver Academy, who had kept a keen eye on his progression with PREMA last year.
Not normally one for sentiment, the Indian admitted that this particular deal, felt a little different. “I am not really an emotional kind of guy,” he said. “But, that is probably the most happy and emotional I have been, when I finally made it official and signed with them. I am very proud to run under their sponsorship and logos and I hope to do well for them this year.”
“I worked with Carlin before as well and I have similar engineers, so I am very happy to join them and hopefully we can enjoy a good successful season together.”
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FIA F2 races to begin in July; Indian ace Jehan Daruvala, raring to go
Paris, 2 June 2020: Top Indian racer Jehan Daruvala, who was signed by Red Bull team in February for their Junior Programme is raring to go as the FIA F2 season begins in July with the first race to be held at Austria.
Following Formula 1’s announcement of their opening eight races of the revised 2020 calendar, FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 are pleased to confirm that their 2020 season will also start on July 03-05 at the Red Bull Ring and will continue alongside F1 in the succeeding seven rounds.
The Indian prodigy, billed as the next-best bet for an Indian in F1, saw Red Bull Racing Formula One Team sign him up which means, Jehan will race for Carlin team, alongside fellow Red Bull Junior Yuki Tsunoda, in his maiden F2 season.
The Red Bull Junior program has been instrumental in producing some of the world’s best F1 racers over the years including, four-time World F1 Champion – Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Alex Albon, and many others. The selection into the Red Bull program is a huge recognition for the young Indian who has consistently performed well at the top of every series he has participated in, culminating in a fantastic season last year where he finished 3rd in the FIA F3 championship. Importantly, in the last ten years, all Red Bull Racing F1 & AlphaTauri F1 (earlier Torro Rosso) racers have come from the Red Bull Junior Program.
Both the F2 and F3 championships were planned to start their 2020 campaign at Sakhir, Bahrain on 20-22 March, but was put on hold due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, F2 and F3 have monitored the situation alongside Formula 1 who has been working closely with promoters, authorities in Europe and the FIA to put in place a revised calendar that allows a return to racing in a safe way for the visited communities and the paddocks.
We currently expect the events will take place without fans, with the hope to have them included in future rounds later this year. The opening calendar will include holding two consecutive events at the same circuit one week apart (Spielberg and Silverstone) as well as a number of back to back events.
As stated by F1 in their announcement, the health and safety of all involved will continue to be priority number one. A robust and detailed plan with strict procedures put in place by Formula 1 and the FIA to ensure the events have the highest level of safety will also apply to the F2 and F3 community and paddock.
The rest of the 2020 F2 and F3 calendar will be revealed at a later date.
F2 and F3 CEO Bruno Michel: “First of all, I would like to thank Formula 1TM and the FIA for making this revised opening calendar possible in such difficult circumstances. I am very pleased to confirm that F2 and F3 will be able to race alongside F1 in the first eight events.
“It is unfortunate that currently we don’t expect fan attendance in these opening events, but we are however glad that we are able to bring them the entertainment of our racing in the safest way possible.
“We will also follow the very detailed safety plan put in place by Formula 1 and the FIA as our priority is to make sure no risks are taken.
“Our 2020 season will continue beyond Monza. We will announce the second part of our calendar as soon as possible.”
S.No. Revised* 2020 F2 & F3 Dates Venue 1 03-05 July Spielberg, Austria 2 10-12 July Spielberg, Austria 3 17-19 July Budapest, Hungary 4 31 July – 02 August Silverstone, Great Britain 5 07-09 August Silverstone, Great Britain 6 14-16 August Barcelona, Spain 7 28-30 August Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium 8 04-06 September Monza, Italy *FIA Approved Calendar
File photo: Jehan Daruvala with the trophy for third place in an F3 Race 1 in Sept. 2019. Photo by
