INDIA in F1

Category: F2

  • Russell tops Free Practice at Spielberg; Maini 17th

    Russell tops Free Practice at Spielberg; Maini 17th

    George Russell tops Round 6 Free Practice on Friday. Image by Zak Mauger / FIA Formula 2

    Spielberg, 29 June 2018: ART Grand Prix’s George Russell opened the FIA Formula 2 Championship round at Spielberg, Austria with the quickest time in Free Practice, setting a 1:14.159 in the first 15 minutes of the session to spend the majority of the running in first place. DAMS’ Alexander Albon slotted into second place, missing out on Russell’s time by two tenths as Roberto Merhi (MP Motorsport) took third.

    On a fully-dry circuit, after the rain had fallen earlier in the day, Jack Aitken (ART) was first onto the track – quickly followed by compatriots Russell and Lando Norris (Carlin). The first few drivers opened the session with reconnaissance laps, leaving Santino Ferrucci to set the first hot lap. Bringing the pace into the 1m16s, Aitken dumped the American driver out of top spot before Ferrucci reclaimed the early advantage.
    Albon then thrust his way past Ferrucci’s benchmark by over half a second, before Norris became the first man to break into the 1m14s. Control over the session then began to change hands multiple times; Nyck de Vries (PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing) pipped Norris for the top spot before Sergio Sette Camara (Carlin) burst past the Dutchman to lead the way. The trio was then put in the shade by Russell, who pumped in the best time of the session at the 15-minute mark to lead proceedings.
    Russell’s lap was under fire from Albon, but the Thai driver couldn’t surpass his championship rival despite a session-best middle sector. Looking to cement his advantage ahead of the pack, Russell began to go even quicker, but ran wide at the penultimate corner and was ultimately unable to improve.
    The timing boards remained stagnant thereafter as the focus switched to race pace, with further drivers getting caught out on the final sector; Artem Markelov (RUSSIAN TIME) hopping over the kerb and briefly becoming airborne, while Aitken was a frequent visitor to the run-off. In the final ten minutes, Nirei Fukuzumi (BWT Arden) came to a stop on the exit of Turn 4, prompting a virtual safety car period which ended any hopes of further improvement from the drivers – Russell remaining at the top of the session.
    Albon and Merhi beat Sette Camara to the top three, as de Vries completed the session fifth ahead of Norris and Antonio Fuoco of Charouz Racing System. Markelov was eighth quickest, with Aitken and BWT Arden’s Maximilian Gunther completing the top ten.
    2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship Round 6 – Spielberg, Austria – Free Practice Classification
    Driver
    Team
    Time
    Laps
    1
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    1:14.159
    27
    2
    Alexander Albon
    DAMS
    1:14.321
    25
    3
    Roberto Merhi
    MP Motorsport
    1:14.418
    24
    4
    Sergio Sette Camara
    Carlin
    1:14.510
    26
    5
    Nyck de Vries
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:14.603
    24
    6
    Lando Norris
    Carlin
    1:14.631
    24
    7
    Antonio Fuoco
    Charouz Racing System
    1:14.649
    24
    8
    Artem Markelov
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:14.809
    21
    9
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    1:14.838
    19
    10
    Maximilian Gunther
    BWT Arden
    1:14.845
    25
    11
    Santino Ferrucci
    Trident
    1:14.853
    28
    12
    Tadasuke Makino
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:14.993
    21
    13
    Luca Ghiotto
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:15.122
    25
    14
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    BWT Arden
    1:15.318
    21
    15
    Sean Gelael
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:15.359
    27
    16
    Louis Deletraz
    Charouz Racing System
    1:15.401
    26
    17
    Arjun Maini
    Trident
    1:15.488
    26
    18
    Ralph Boschung
    MP Motorsport
    1:15.591
    18
    19
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    1:15.796
    21
    20
    Roy Nissany
    Campos Vexatec Racing

  • De Vries charges to first win of 2018 with large margin; F2 Sprint; Arjun Maini 11th

    Le Castellet (France), 24 June 2018: Nyck de Vries was rampant in the FIA Formula 2 Championship Sprint Race at Le Castellet, France, storming to his first championship win of 2018. Making a number of crucial overtakes at the beginning of the race, the PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing driver won by 9.6 seconds over second-placed Louis Delétraz, as Luca Ghiotto collected consecutive third place finishes. Indian racer Arjun Maini  of Trident team, finished 13th in Sprint Race.
    Feature Race winner George Russell was immediately thrust out of contention having encountered technical difficulties, before a flurry of unfortunate events preceded the start – Nirei Fukuzumi was unable to pull away for the formation lap, in which Jack Aitken spun and was unable to get going. At the start, polesitter Tadasuke Makino was immediately swamped by the cars around him, falling to fifth as fellow front-row starter Nicholas Latifi assumed control of the lead, with Delétraz, de Vries and Ghiotto slotting in behind the Canadian driver.
    Delétraz immediately displayed a pace advantage over Latifi, winding the lead to within DRS range as de Vries dropped back – giving the Swiss driver free reign to challenge into the Mistral chicane; a lap three attempt to pass served as a reconnaissance mission, with Delétraz taking advantage on the following tour of the circuit to breeze past Latifi for the lead. No sooner had the DAMS driver lost the lead, he had de Vries to contend with as Déletraz scampered up the road from the pair.
    On the sixth lap, Latifi lost out once more at the same corner as de Vries made a successful play for second, immediately working on overturning Delétraz’s advantage – which now stood at 2.3s. Behind them, Makino was in danger of haemorrhaging further positions to the chasing Antonio Fuoco and Sergio Sette Camara, before a mechanical problem left the Japanese driver to retreat to the pitlane. The battle quickly returned to three contenders, as Lando Norris cleared Maximilian Gunther and subsequently charged up to the rear of Sette Camara.
    At the midpoint of the race, de Vries had unlocked further pace from his PREMA car and started to close in on Delétraz with a clear speed advantage over the Charouz driver. Further down the field, Sette Camara was throwing the kitchen sink at Fuoco, who proved to be uncooperative in the Brazilian’s pursuit of progress through the pack. The action continued around the midway mark, Latifi falling further down the order after Ghiotto wrested control of third.
    On lap 13, de Vries was immediately on the back of Delétraz, and the Dutchman forced his way through at turn 5 to seize control of the lead – quickly building a solid buffer to consolidate his position. Sette Camara’s efforts to pass Fuoco were less successful, allowing Norris to enter the frame and peeling his Carlin teammate’s attention away from the back of the Ferrari junior driver.
    Norris then made a move on Sette Camara into the Mistral chicane and, although he faced resistance over the following corners, the British driver retained his position and wrested control of sixth. Meanwhile, de Vries was imperious in the lead, opening a heady advantage to Déletraz – who had begun to struggle, losing time to the chasing Ghiotto.
    With the battle among the front three stagnating, Latifi’s regression through the field left him to fall victim to Fuoco, with Norris next to get the Force India reserve driver in his sights. Making a pass ahead of turn 1, Latifi attempted to regain the slipstream from Norris to switch back, but instead clipped his rear and locked up heavily with front-wing damage to fall down the order.
    Avoiding the various skirmishes behind him, de Vries breezed to victory with almost ten seconds in his pocket over Delétraz, who crossed the line just two-tenths ahead of Ghiotto. Fuoco held on for fourth, with Norris and Sette Camara unable to clear the Charouz driver. Alexander Albon recovered to seventh, with Latifi rounding out the top eight.
    Norris continues to lead the Drivers’ Championship with 104 points, his lead slashed to 11 points by George Russell as Nyck de Vries now occupies third overall with 75 points. Carlin continue their lead of the Teams’ Championship with 172 points, while ART Grand Prix occupy second with 140 – with DAMS sitting third with 105 points.
    The next round will take place from 30 June – 2 July from Spielberg, Austria, with the verdant hills around the Styrian mountains providing a stunning backdrop for what promises to be another thrilling weekend.
    2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship Round 5 – Sprint Race Provisional Classification
    Driver
    Team
    1
    Nyck de Vries
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    2
    Louis Deletraz
    Charouz Racing System
    3
    Luca Ghiotto
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    4
    Antonio Fuoco
    Charouz Racing System
    5
    Lando Norris
    Carlin
    6
    Sergio Sette Camara
    Carlin
    7
    Alexander Albon
    DAMS
    8
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    9
    Santino Ferrucci
    Trident
    10
    Roy Nissany
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    11
    Maximilian Gunther
    BWT Arden
    12
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    BWT Arden
    13
    Arjun Maini
    Trident
    14
    Artem Markelov
    RUSSIAN TIME
    15
    Roberto Merhi
    MP Motorsport
    16
    Ralph Boschung
    MP Motorsport
    17
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    18
    Sean Gelael
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    —
    Tadasuke Makino
    RUSSIAN TIME
    —
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix

  • Russell, the ART GP driver grabs third F2 win in dry/wet race; Arjun Maini 11th

    La Castellet, 24 June 2018: George Russell produced a stunning drive in the FIA Formula 2 Championship Feature Race at Le Castellet, France, overcoming tricky conditions and a late assault from Sergio Sette Camara to clinch his third victory of the season. Carlin’s Sette Camara pushed Russell all the way to the finish, while MP Motorsport’s Roberto Merhi secured his second podium of the year with a third place finish from P15 on the grid.
    Indian racer Arjun Maini of Trident finished 11th.
    With the threat of rain looming, the formation lap got underway with Antonio Fuoco requiring a quick jump-start from a mechanic as the lights turned green, earning himself an immediate stop-go penalty in the process. At the lights, Russell produced an immaculate start to maintain the lead into turn 1, as Sette Camara surged into second ahead of Alexander Albon while both Lando Norris and Artem Markelov stalled on the grid.
    Immediately, rain started to appear, catching a number of drivers out on the opening lap as the track surface quickly became slippery – Nicholas Latifi having a momentary off before Luca Ghiotto suffered from a spin – luckily pirouetting to face the right way. After just three laps, Russell made his advantage at the front clear, opening a 3 second gap to Sette Camara, with Albon remaining in pursuit of the pair.
    With conditions getting more difficult with each passing lap, a number of drivers endured moments off the circuit. Jack Aitken passed Louis Déletraz for fourth place at the start of lap four, but later went off at Signes having lost grip and allowing the Swiss driver to challenge once more – with Nyck de Vries, Sean Gelael and Roberto Merhi joining the same battle. With the cars ahead of him sustaining their own forays off the circuit, Merhi managed to tentatively make his way through the pack – Gelael’s spin bringing out the first virtual safety car.
    At the front, Russell elected to remain on his supersoft tyres, while Norris, Aitken and Roy Nissany made gambles on the wet-weather tyres – Norris and Aitken returning for slicks one lap later as the rain began to clear. With the front two yet to stop, Albon pitted for the medium compound, returning to the circuit sixth before a second VSC period – brought out for the stranded Ralph Boschung, who stopped on the start-finish straight.
    At the end of the VSC, Albon put his fresh tyres to work and set about winding Russell and Sette Camara in. Passing Déletraz, the DAMS driver sustained a mechanical issue which ended his progress and left him to retreat to the pits. This left Sette Camara free to challenge Russell, the former pitting at the end of lap 17 to attempt an undercut on the ART driver’s advantage. Covering him off, Russell collected fresh mediums on the following lap, retaining the lead with a 3.4s advantage – with the yet-to-pit de Vries in third.
    With the stops completed, the pendulum was arguably in Sette Camara’s favour, and the Brazilian clocked a new fastest lap to reel Russell in. The British driver hit back, opening up the lead once more, and the two were left unchallenged at the front after de Vries made his pitstop on lap 24 – having opted for an alternate strategy by starting on the medium tyres. This shuffled Merhi up to third, with de Vries dropping behind Fuoco – who had battled to fifth despite his earlier penalty.
    As the race entered its final five laps, Sette Camara began to turn the screw on Russell, taking chunks out of the race leader’s gap before locking up at the Mistral chicane and carrying on. Having been investigated by the stewards, Sette Camara was deemed not to have gained an advantage, leaving him to bear down on Russell once more in the dying stages.
    On the final lap, Russell managed to avert being within Sette Camara’s DRS range, but struggled to keep him behind; on the final corner, Sette Camara made a last-ditch lunge down the inside, but Russell held on to cross the line to claim his third F2 victory, Sette Camara having to be content with second on his return from injury. Merhi, having kept his nose clean in the early stages, clinched third – albeit 32 seconds further behind – while Ghiotto shook off his early spin to finish in fourth.
    Fuoco took fifth place from de Vries – who claimed the fastest lap – with Louis Deletraz leaving the Dutchman in a Charouz Racing System sandwich, while Nicholas Latifi claimed eighth place at the death from Tadasuke Makino; the RUSSIAN TIME driver made a move on Latifi on the final lap at the Mistral chicane, but the Canadian refused to give up and streaked past Makino on the outside of turn 10 to clinch reverse-grid pole for tomorrow’s Sprint race, as Nirei Fukuzumi captured the final point.
    With further chances of rain in tomorrow’s race, and with many of the championship’s front-runners occupying places further down the grid, there’s certainly everything to play for on Sunday morning.
    2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship Round 5 – Le Castellet, France – Feature Race
    Driver
    Team
    1
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    2
    Sergio Sette Camara
    Carlin
    3
    Roberto Merhi
    MP Motorsport
    4
    Luca Ghiotto
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    5
    Antonio Fuoco
    Charouz Racing System
    6
    Nyck de Vries
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    7
    Louis Deletraz
    Charouz Racing System
    8
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    9
    Tadasuke Makino
    RUSSIAN TIME
    10
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    BWT Arden
    11
    Arjun Maini
    Trident
    12
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    13
    Maximilian Gunther
    BWT Arden
    14
    Santino Ferrucci
    Trident
    15
    Artem Markelov
    RUSSIAN TIME
    16
    Roy Nissany
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    17
    Lando Norris
    Carlin
    —
    Alexander Albon
    DAMS
    —
    Ralph Boschung
    MP Motorsport
    —
    Sean Gelael
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing

  • F2: Fuoco clinches victory in dramatic Monaco Sprint Race; Arjun Maini 6th

    Monaco, 26 May 2018: Antonio Fuoco held his nerve in a dramatic FIA Formula 2 Championship Sprint Race at Monte Carlo, Monaco, absorbing a swathe of challenges for the lead from Lando Norris and overcoming a flurry of safety

    An F2 image courtesy FIA!

    cars to claim a maiden victory for Charouz Racing System. Norris followed home in second to extend his championship lead, while Louis Delétraz took his first F2 podium finish in third place after a stunning defensive drive. Indian racing prodigy Arjun Maini of Trident team managed to finish 6th.

    Making a strong start off the line, Fuoco and Norris surged ahead as Jack Aitken bogged down from second place, dropping down the order as Delétraz and Artem Markelov swarmed past. Almost immediately, a virtual safety car was called to clear the cars of Tadasuke Makino and Luca Ghiotto; Makino struggled to get away, leaving Ghiotto to run into the back of the Japanese driver out of the blocks.
    Once the VSC period was declared over, Norris set about challenging Fuoco at the restart, carving into the Italian’s advantage before a safety car was called at the end of the fourth lap; Sean Gelael had clipped the kerb while passing through the Piscine section, subsequently becoming airborne before the PREMA driver careened into the barrier. The debris was hastily swept away for a restart at the end of the ninth lap, with Fuoco adeptly holding the lead from Norris and Delétraz.
    Behind the leading trio, Markelov was running Arjun Maini incredibly close, attempting a move around the outside of La Rascasse but ultimately running out of room to pass the Trident driver. This was a precursor to his next-lap assault, with Markelov once again using La Rascasse to launch his attack. Diving down the inside, the Russian driver found just enough space to complete the pass, with Delétraz next in his sights. Closing the Swiss ace down, Markelov once more attempted a move in the penultimate corner, but was ultimately unsuccessful.
    Fuoco, after absorbing Norris’s challenges in the first half of the race, had charged into a two-second lead by lap 20, before a second VSC was introduced after George Russell hit the wall on the exit of Piscine. Full-speed running returned a lap later, with Fuoco nailing the restart to open the lead out by a further second over the Carlin driver. Markelov meanwhile resumed his attack on Delétraz, and seemed set to clear him as they ran side-by-side through Massenet, but the Charouz driver’s sterling efforts in defence kept Markelov at bay.
    With four laps remaining, another safety car was called after Alexander Albon collided with Roy Nissany on the exit of the tunnel; attempting a move, the Thai driver fired into the back of Nissany’s car and ended up in the opposite wall after the Nouvelle Chicane – with Nissany left facing the wrong way. As the cars were quickly cleared, green flag running resumed with Fuoco once more preserving his lead over Norris as Delétraz found breathing space over Markelov.
    No sooner had the race restarted, the safety car made its third and final appearance to close out the race; Nirei Fukuzumi had mistimed his braking into La Rascasse and drifted into the wall, with Santino Ferrucci doing likewise seconds later. Although the safety car pulled in at the end of the final lap, Fuoco was unchallenged and clinched his second F2 victory ahead of Norris, while Delétraz ensured both Charouz drivers would stand on the podium.
    Markelov’s best efforts to clear Delétraz came to no avail, and had to be content with fourth as Roberto Merhi cleared Maini to take fifth place.
    Maximilian Günther grabbed his first points since Bahrain with seventh, as Nicholas Latifi took eighth – with it, the points for the fastest lap.
    Norris reaches 100 points to extend his championship lead, as Markelov and Albon complete the top three with 71 points each. ART Grand Prix pair Russell and Aitken complete the top five, currently standing at 62 and 49 points respectively. Carlin continue to lead the teams’ championship with 146 points, 35 points ahead of ART while DAMS sit on 91. After winning yesterday’s race, RUSSIAN TIME move up to fourth with 75 points.
    The FIA Formula 2 Championship will resume next time out from the 22-24 June at Le Castellet, France, a new venue for the calendar. The drivers clocked in plenty of mileage in pre-season testing at the Circuit Paul Ricard, but the long straights and mixture of corners should provide a stern challenge in racing trim.
    2018 Round 4 Sprint Race classification
    Driver
    Team
    1
    Antonio Fuoco
    Charouz Racing System
    2
    Lando Norris
    Carlin
    3
    Louis Delétraz
    Charouz Racing System
    4
    Artem Markelov
    RUSSIAN TIME
    5
    Roberto Merhi
    MP Motorsport
    6
    Arjun Maini
    Trident
    7
    Maximilian Günther
    BWT Arden
    8
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    9
    Nyck De Vries
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    10
    Luca Ghiotto
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    11
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    BWT Arden
    12
    Santino Ferrucci
    Trident
    Not classified
    Roy Nissany
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    Alexander Albon
    DAMS
    Ralph Boschung
    MP Motorsport
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    Sean Gelael
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    Tadasuke Makino
    RUSSIAN TIME
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix

  • F2: Artem Markelov scores stunning victory in feature race; Arjun Maini finishes fifth

    Monte Carlo, 25 May 2018: Artem Markelov produced a masterclass performance in the FIA Formula 2 Championship Feature Race at the Circuit de Monaco, as the RUSSIOAN TIME driver weathered drama and a pair of safety car periods to secure victory by 10.7 seconds over Sean Gelael. The PREMA driver took advantage of the alternate strategy to take second, as Roberto Merhi did likewise to grab the final podium place available.

    Nineteen cars took to the grid after Sergio Sette Camara was ruled unfit to start following his incident in Thursday’s qualifying session. In a hot, humid Monte Carlo, the race was put on ice almost immediately after the start; the safety car was brought out after Luca Ghiotto was helped into the wall by Antonio Fuoco off the line, as polesitter Alexander Albon preserved his lead of the race from Nyck de Vries and Markelov. Once Ghiotto’s stricken Campos Vexatec Racing car was cleared, Albon dictated the restart to remain ahead of de Vries, while Markelov was left to fend off from Arjun Maini after Fuoco was quickly handed a drive-through penalty.

    De Vries began to throw the kitchen sink at Albon, before yellow flags flooded the Rascasse hairpin for George Russell, who hit the wall having botched an overtake on Nirei Fukuzumi. With the threat of a safety car – which remained off-track after the ART Grand Prix car was quickly put out of harm’s way – the supersoft runners began to filter into the pits; Lando Norris, Gelael, Louis Delétraz and Merhi peppering the pitlane with stops for soft tyres.

    Norris then brought out a second safety car on lap 13, attempting an overtake on Ralph Boschung at the Anthony Noghes corner and bundling the Swiss driver into the wall – Norris earning a drive-through as a result. Subsequently, leading pair Albon and de Vries both attempted to pit under the safety car; the two found the pitlane entry too tight for both cars and collided – Albon ending up facing the wrong direction and de Vries sustaining damage.

    The end of the safety car period shuffled Markelov to the front of the field, and he began to fire in a series of hot laps to build a gap over Maini. De Vries, the lead runner to have completed their mandatory stop, lost eighth to teammate Gelael before haemorrhaging a further raft of positions – the Dutchman calling it a day after 20 tours of the circuit. This left Gelael as Markelov’s benchmark as he sought to build a gap ahead of his own pitstop.

    Dropping the hammer, Markelov had preserved sufficient life in his soft tyres to open the gap up to Gelael, eking out as much time as possible to complete his stop. Behind him, Fuoco, Aitken and Fukuzumi all blinked first, pitting while Markelov was setting further hot laps. With his lapped teammate Tadasuke Makino looming larger in his sights, Markelov came in for supersofts at the end of lap 34, crucially emerging ahead of Gelael.

    Gelael had soon slashed the deficit to two seconds as Markelov needed time to bring his tyres up to temperature, but the Russian soon took advantage of his softer-compound rubber to light the timing boards up with best sectors, opening up his advantage to cross the line with a 10.7s advantage over the Indonesian. Having also pit before the safety car on the alternate strategy, Merhi capped off a well-managed drive to clinch third – he and Gelael claiming their first F2 podium finishes.

    Having also benefitted from the option-prime strategy, Louis Delétraz swept home in fourth for his first points of the season, while Maini emerged ahead of Norris after his stop to grab fifth. Jack Aitken was seventh, while Fuoco recovered from his drive-through to eighth. Nicholas Latifi, having stopped the latest of anyone, clinched ninth from the final row of the grid, while Fukuzumi beat BWT Arden teammate Maximilian Günther to 10th.

    Fuoco will start Saturday’s Sprint Race from eighth position and, without mandatory pitstops to make, drivers will undoubtedly have to take more risks to progress through the field. With the streets of Monaco keen to punish the slightest mistake, Saturday’s race promises to be just as exciting.

    Albon handed grid penalty for Sprint Race

    Following today’s FIA Formula 2 Feature Race, Alexander Albon was found guilty of causing a collision. When entering the pit lane for his mandatory pit stop, the DAMS driver collided with Nyck de Vries, who was making his entrance to the pits at the same time. The contact sent Albon into a spin, before he later retired from the race. The Dutchman from PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing also stopped his run a few laps later, his car sustaining damage after the collision.

    As a consequence, Albon was handed a five-place grid drop for tomorrow’s Sprint Race in Monaco. He will henceforth start from last position.

  • Albon grabs third successive pole in Monaco qualifying, beating de Vries by 100th of a second  

    Monaco, 24 May 2018: Alexander Albon took his third consecutive pole position in an action-packed FIA Formula 2 Championship qualifying session at Monte Carlo here on Thursday. The DAMS driver clocked a 1:21.727 lap to stave off Nyck de Vries by 0.01s for the fastest time while Artem Markelov (Russian Time) will start from third in tomorrow’s feature race. Indian racer Arjun Maini who clocked fourth fastest in the second group of the split qualifying session for an overall 8th. He will start in P8 and will be looking to turn the trend of the past couple of races.
    Group A Qualifying session
     Qualifying was split into two groups, with Santino Ferrucci leading the first half of the field out onto the circuit, with Markelov and Lando Norris in hot pursuit. Norris soon passed the pair to record the first flying lap, Jack Aitken challenging his compatriot’s time, but the pack soon retreated to the pits to put on sets of fresh supersoft tyres.
    Markelov – one of the first to make the switch to new tyres – beat Norris’ time, but the Carlin driver seemed destined to put the Russian in the shade with a pair of purple opening sectors. However, the Brit hit the wall on the exit of the Piscine complex, breaking his front wing and ending his hopes of securing pole position. Ferrucci briefly led the session before Markelov reclaimed top spot, the RUSSIAN TIME driver looking busy at the steering wheel throughout the lap.
    Albon then hurled his way to the head of the timesheets, overcoming Markelov’s benchmark by a tenth to grab first place – the Thai driver’s time holding firm in the final stages of the session.
    Group B Qualifying session
    The second group then took to the circuit moments later, Arjun Maini first on scene ahead of George Russell and Sergio Sette Camara – Maini opening with the first flying lap. Sette Camara challenged with a quick first sector, but the Trident driver’s time was ultimately beaten by de Vries before the mid-session pitstop phase.
    Once the field had collected new tyres, Sette Camara dipped below de Vries’ time before the Dutchman attempted to charge back, but came across a slow Luca Ghiotto while on a quick lap. Undeterred, de Vries used the next lap to surge to the top of the timesheets of the second group, just one hundredth of a second behind Albon’s previous benchmark. With little chance of anyone improving, the second session came to an abrupt end with moments left on the clock after Sette Camara hit the wall at turn 1 to bring out a red flag.
    With the results aggregated, Albon and de Vries occupy the front row, with Markelov starting alongside Sette Camara behind them. Antonio Fuoco starts from fifth, ahead of countryman Luca Ghiotto. Maximilian Günther and Arjun Maini start tomorrow’s race from seventh and eighth, while Ferrucci and Ralph Boschung complete the top ten.
    As the current title contenders are dispersed among the grid, and with the potential for a drama-filled event, tomorrow’s race promises to provide plenty of intrigue amid the streets of Monte Carlo.
    2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship Round 4 Qualifying – Monte Carlo, Monaco
    Group A
    Driver
    Team
    Time
    Laps
    1
    Alexander Albon
    DAMS
    1:21.727
    9
    2
    Artem Markelov
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:21.834
    11
    3
    Antonio Fuoco
    Charouz Racing System
    1:21.948
    10
    4
    Maximilian Günther
    BWT Arden
    1:22.194
    10
    5
    Santino Ferrucci
    Trident
    1:22.408
    10
    6
    Roberto Merhi
    MP Motorsport
    1:22.569
    11
    7
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    1:22.597
    11
    8
    Sean Gelael
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:22.654
    11
    9
    Lando Norris
    Carlin
    1:22.663
    7
    10
    Roy Nissany
    Carlin
    1:23.796
    10
    Group B
    1
    Nyck de Vries
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:21.737
    10
    2
    Sergio Sette Camara
    Carlin
    1:21.901
    10
    3
    Luca Ghiotto
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:22.241
    10
    4
    Arjun Maini
    Trident
    1:22.263
    10
    5
    Ralph Boschung
    MP Motorsport
    1:22.307
    10
    6
    Tadasuke Makino
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:22.420
    9
    7
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    BWT Arden
    1:22.707
    9
    8
    Louis Delétraz
    Charouz Racing System
    1:22.717
    10
    9
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    1:22.977
    11
    10
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    1:23.157
    10
  • Aitken clinches first F2 victory in Barcelona sprint; Arjun finishes 13th

    Aitken clinches first F2 victory in Barcelona sprint; Arjun finishes 13th

    British driver masters difficult conditions to claim maiden win
    Jack Aitken (ART Grand Prix), Alexander Albon (DAMS), Lando Norris (Carlin) on the podium in the sprint race on Sunday. An FIA image

    Barcelona, 13 May 2018: Jack Aitken managed a flurry of virtual safety car periods to collect his first FIA Formula 2 Championship victory in the Sprint Race in Barcelona, Spain, assuming the lead at the start of the race and holding on to claim ART Grand Prix’s second win of the weekend, ahead of DAMS’ Alexander Albon and Carlin’s Lando Norris.

    Although the circuit was damp following overnight rain and a short spell of drizzle in the morning, all driver started on medium-compound slicks as no further downpours were expected throughout. Polesitter Artem Markelov had a poor start, dropping down the order as Aitken darted to the front of the pack ahead of Sergio Sette Camara, clearing a wild first lap behind them as Nyck de Vries went wide at turn 4 before Roberto Merhi went sideways on the exit of the same corner.
    Keeping his head cool, Aitken had found a 3.3s advantage over Sette Camara after the opening lap, the British driver setting the early quick laps before the first Virtual Safety Car period was introduced for de Vries’ stopped car, the Prema driver spinning at turn 10 before coming to a halt. At the return of green flag running, Sette Camara went wide at the same corner to allow Albon and Norris through, while Aitken had managed the restart to perfection to assume a gap of 11.7s over the Thai driver.
    A full safety car period emerged shortly after, as Japanese duo Tadasuke Makino and Nirei Fukuzumi tangled at turn 3 which eradicated Aitken’s lead as the two cars were cleared from the barrier. Aitken handled the restart adeptly, goading Albon into getting close before accelerating away to retain his lead, leaving the DAMS driver in the clutches of the chasing Norris.
    Albon and Norris proceeded to draw nearer to Aitken after the ART driver briefly ran wide, while Luca Ghiotto nestled in behind the leading trio to pick up any pieces. Recomposing himself, Aitken hit back with a series of fastest laps to keep Albon out of DRS range, leaving Norris to occupy his mirrors. Behind them, Sette Camara had fallen some way behind and the Brazilian fell victim to Feature Race winner George Russell before subsequently pulling over at the side of the road with a mechanical issue – requiring a second VSC period to remove the lifeless Carlin.
    Aitken increased his gap over Albon at the lap 15 restart, with Norris falling back dangerously close to Ghiotto. The Italian driver grabbed DRS on the following lap, but was too far back to seriously challenge for third place. Behind, Russell was hunting the pair down, bringing himself into DRS range of Ghiotto – delicately tucking his car down the inside of the Campos driver at the start of the 20th lap to claim fourth.
    With Albon having his hands full trying to keep Norris away, Aitken was able to scamper up the road with a 2.8s lead before a third virtual safety car, called to clear the parked MP Motorsport car of Ralph Boschung after the Swiss driver sustained a heavy lock-up trying to pass Santino Ferrucci, puncturing his front-left tyre in the process. The race resumed with three laps left, Aitken surging ahead once more, but the Brit lost a full second to Albon on the penultimate lap. Dusting himself off, Aitken found time on his final lap to sweep home for his first F2 win, 1.5s clear of Albon in second.
    Norris took third, some five seconds ahead of Russell who collected the fastest lap on the final tour of the circuit, while Ghiotto was further back. Sean Gelael produced an impressive overtaking display to grab sixth ahead of Antonio Fuoco. Nicholas Latifi fought tooth and nail with Markelov for the final point, even making contact in the penultimate corner, leaving the Canadian to hang on to eighth.
    Leaving Barcelona with the championship lead, Norris sits on 80 points, 13 points clear of second-placed Albon as Russell is five points further back with 62. Carlin lead the Teams’ Championship with 126 points, 21 points ahead of ART Grand Prix as DAMS have 88 points to sit third.
    The next FIA Formula 2 round will take place in Monaco from the 24-26 May, and the Principality’s famously tough street course will provide a unique challenge to the drivers as they seek to navigate Monte Carlo’s close barriers and tight corners.
    2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship Round 3 Sprint Race – Barcelona, Spain
    Driver
    Team
    1
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    2
    Alexander Albon
    DAMS
    3
    Lando Norris
    Carlin
    4
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    5
    Luca Ghiotto
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    6
    Sean Gelael
    Pertamina Prema Theodore Racing
    7
    Antonio Fuoco
    Charouz Racing System
    8
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    9
    Artem Markelov
    Russian Time
    10
    Louis Deletraz
    Charouz Racing System
    11
    Santino Ferrucci
    Trident
    12
    Maximilian Gunther
    BWT Arden
    13
    Arjun Maini
    Trident
    14
    Roy Nissany
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    –
    Roberto Merhi
    MP Motorsport
    –
    Ralph Boschung
    MP Motorsport
    –
    Sergio Sette Camara
    Carlin
    –
    Tadasuke Makino
    Russian Time
    –
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    BWT Arden
    –
    Nyck de Vries
    Pertamina Prema Theodore Racing
    Fastest Lap: George Russell (ART Grand Prix) – 1:30.987
  • Russell prevails in action-packed feature race; Arjun Maini crashes out: F2

    Russell prevails in action-packed feature race; Arjun Maini crashes out: F2

    Barcelona, 12 May 2018: George Russell claimed victory in a thrilling FIA Formula 2 Championship Feature Race while Indian racer crashed into the wall on the exit of turn 5 here on Saturday.
    Russell, the ART Grand Prix driver took the lead from a fast-starting Nyck de Vries before holding on throughout four virtual safety car periods for the win, keeping the Pertamina Prema Theodore Racing racer at bay as Carlin’s Lando Norris followed the pair home for third.
    Heavy clouds loomed over the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with sporadic spots of drizzle peppering the start-finish straight at the start of the race. The rain held off, and a flurry of activity at the race start resulted in de Vries wresting control of the lead after polesitter Alexander Albon endured a slow getaway, which also allowed Russell and Luca Ghiotto to filter through. Immediately, a virtual safety car was called for Maximilian Gunther’s beached BWT Arden machine at turn 2, neutralising the race before the action resumed on lap 4.
    Albon sought redemption for his slow start and overtook Ghiotto a lap later, cruising past on the inside of turn 1 as Norris closed down on the pair. Ahead, de Vries and Russell were battling hard for the lead, with the British driver snatching a tow from the leader before making a move down the inside of the first corner at the opening of the sixth lap – taking the lead.
    The virtual safety car (VSC) emerged again as a tussle between the two MP Motorsport drivers boiled over – Roberto Merhi and Ralph Boschung made contact in their scrap for 12th place, with the Swiss driver ending his day in the tyre barrier as Merhi retreated to the pits with damage. The race returned to full-speed action on lap 8 as the race restarted, and de Vries soon found himself under pressure from Albon – who fired his way up into to second place two laps later.
    The Thai driver then went in pursuit of Russell, but any charge was halted by a third VSC period after Trident’s Arjun Maini found the wall on the exit of turn 5. The running resumed on the 14th lap, and soon after, the drivers on soft tyres were making their mandatory stops as the threat of rain appeared to subside.
    All wearing medium sets of tyres, the leading trio continued to push on with Albon the first to hit the stages of tyre degradation, losing second to de Vries once more as the Dutchman sought to get back on level terms with Russell. With Albon out of the picture shortly after, having pitted to fall behind Norris and Jack Aitken, the front-running pair came into the pitlane nose to tail, Russell maintaining his position by fractions.
    De Vries opened lap 27 with an assault on Russell, but the Brit held firm before the PREMA driver’s teammate Sean Gelael had contact with Louis Deletraz on the next lap, bringing out a fourth VSC with Artem Markelov and Nirei Fukuzumi leading – and yet to stop.
    The pair pitted at the end of lap 32 once the race was restarted, which went down to the clock as the slower speeds had resulted in a longer race time. De Vries almost collected the lead at the restart, trying a move down the inside of Russell at turn 5, but braked too deeply and conceded the place. With Norris looming larger in the pair’s mirrors, having converted his alternate strategy into a top three berth, Russell refused to be drawn into a battle and edged ahead of de Vries, opening the taps enough to seal his second F2 win.
    Despite Norris’ best efforts to snatch second in the final stages, de Vries held on by 0.7s ahead of the Carlin driver. Ghiotto emerged ahead of Albon once more to take fourth place, as Aitken’s alternate strategy helped him to sixth ahead of Sergio Sette Camara. Markelov recovered from a lowly 19th on the grid to take eighth, swiping the reverse-grid pole slot from teammate Tadasuke Makino on the last lap, as Antonio Fuoco completed the top 10.
    Markelov also swiped the points available for the fastest lap and, having completed 32 laps on his medium compound tyres, will be a formidable opponent from pole in tomorrow’s Sprint Race – which promises to deliver plenty of excitement once more.
    2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship Feature Race Provisional Classification – Barcelona, Spain
    Driver
    Team
    1
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    2
    Nyck de Vries
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    3
    Lando Norris
    Carlin
    4
    Luca Ghiotto
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    5
    Alexander Albon
    DAMS
    6
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    7
    Sergio Sette Camara
    Carlin
    8
    Artem Markelov
    RUSSIAN TIME
    9
    Tadasuke Makino
    RUSSIAN TIME
    10
    Antonio Fuoco
    Charouz Racing System
    11
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    BWT Arden
    12
    Roy Nissany
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    13
    Roberto Merhi
    MP Motorsport
    14
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    –
    Sean Gelael
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    –
    Louis Deletraz
    Charouz Racing System
    –
    Arjun Maini
    Trident
    –
    Ralph Boschung
    MP Motorsport
    –
    Maximilian Gunther
    BWT Arden
    –
    Santino Ferrucci
    Trident
    Fastest Lap: Nicholas Latifi (DAMS) – 1:30.039

  • Albon takes pole position in Barcelona; Arjun Maini to start P18

    Barcelona, 12 May 2018: Alexander Albon held on from a flurry of last-minute flying laps to secure pole position in the FIA Formula 2 Championship Qualifying session, his 1:28.142 good enough to withstand an onslaught from Pertamina Prema Theodore Racing’s Nyck de Vries and Campos Vexatec Racing’s Luca Ghiotto.
    Meanwhile, Indian racer Arjun Maini of Trident could only manage P18 in the qualifying session. Earlier, Maini got the session underway at the green flag under warm and breezy conditions, leading out Sean Gelael (Prema) and ART Grand Prix’s Jack Aitken, before Gelael snatched track position for the first push lap of the session. Aitken briefly went quickest, before de Vries and Maini found even more time before having to quickly concede control of the timesheets as the pace continued to drop.
    Nicholas Latifi of DAMS was first to beat the morning’s practice pace set by Albon, who then ended the first phase of hot laps on top after setting a pair of purple opening sectors. Running then hit a brief hiatus at the midpoint of the session after Trident’s Santino Ferrucci hit the wall at turn 11, bringing out a red flag.
    DAMS got the session back underway at the restart with both drivers, taking advantage of the empty track. Latifi got within a tenth of Albon’s best time, before the Thai driver beat his own personal best by 0.3s to go further clear at the top of the timings. The circuit then met a flurry of activity, with plenty of drivers threatening to go even quicker.
    Aitken split the DAMS pair, before George Russell took second from his teammate shortly after. De Vries then bumped the ART pair down to the second row, but was ultimately unsuccessful in his overtures for pole, allowing Albon hang on and secure consecutive pole positions in F2.
    Ghiotto grabbed third at the last moment and will start alongside Russell, as Aitken and Latifi will occupy the third row of the grid. Tadasuke Makino (Russian Time) took seventh ahead of Carlin’s Lando Norris, as MP locked out row five with Ralph Boschung and Roberto Merhi.
    With plenty of championship contenders all at the sharp end, tomorrow’s Feature Race should be hotly contested – with all having to blend strategy and speed to secure an all-important victory.
    2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship Round 1 Qualifying – Barcelona, Spain
    Driver
    Team
    Time
    Laps
    1
    Alexander Albon
    DAMS
    1:28.142
    11
    2
    Nyck De Vries
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:28.369
    11
    3
    Luca Ghiotto
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:28.400
    11
    4
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    1:28.524
    11
    5
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    1:28.579
    11
    6
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    1:28.605
    11
    7
    Tadasuke Makino
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:28.620
    11
    8
    Lando Norris
    Carlin
    1:28.923
    10
    9
    Ralph Boschung
    MP Motorsport
    1:28.970
    11
    10
    Roberto Merhi
    MP Motorsport
    1:29.081
    11
    11
    Antonio Fuoco
    Charouz Racing System
    1:29.130
    12
    12
    Louis Delétraz
    Charouz Racing System
    1:29.136
    11
    13
    Maximilian Gunther
    BWT Arden
    1:29.143
    12
    14
    Sergio Sette Camara
    Carlin
    1:29.256
    5
    15
    Roy Nissany
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:29.284
    11
    16
    Sean Gelael
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:29.307
    11
    17
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    BWT Arden
    1:29.376
    12
    18
    Arjun Maini
    Trident
    1:29.407
    11
    19
    Artem Markelov
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:29.585
    11
    20
    Santino Ferrucci
    Trident
    1:30.440
    6

  • Alexander Albon quickest in Formula 2 free practice; Arjun Maini 16th

    Barcelona, 11 May 2018: DAMS’ Alexander Albon completed the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship Free Practice session at Barcelona, Spain as the fastest driver, setting a 1:29.327 to stand three tenths clear of second-placed Sergio Sette Camara (Carlin) as Luca Ghiotto of Campos Vexatec Racing ended the session in third.
    A breezy session began with the Trident duo of Santino Ferrucci and Arjun Maini leapfrogging their opponents to leave the pits first, followed out by ART’s Jack Aitken as they all sought to take full advantage of the session’s 45 minute runtime. The American racer put the opening time on the board, which was given short shrift by Louis Delétraz; the Charouz Racing System driver held the early pace before Ferrucci spun on his next lap at Turn 4 to bring out a red flag after just five minutes of running.
    Maini reopened the action when the track went green, which was immediately greeted by drivers trading best sector times as they looked to make up for the session’s suspension. The Indian driver briefly went top, before Carlin’s Lando Norris snatched the advantage. Despite setting the fastest opening sectors, a poor final portion of the lap stymied Albon’s efforts to overturn Norris’ control of the timing boards, allowing the Charouz pair of Delétraz and Antonio Fuoco to occupy second and third.
    A second red flag was then brought out for Boschung, who produced an almost carbon copy of Ferrucci’s early spin at Turn 4 to pause the running once more. Sette Camara got the ball rolling again and beat Norris’ time on his subsequent flying lap, before Ghiotto went quickest by just a tenth over the Brazilian’s best.
    Albon then found his way to the top, despite encountering heavy traffic in the final sector, before the Carlins reassumed the top placings. The Thai driver hit back, finding further gains in the opening two thirds of the lap to go three tenths ahead of Sette Camara. The final ten minutes were greeted with few improvements and, after a planned Virtual Safety Car in the last stages, Albon kept control of the timing boards.
    Ghiotto slotted into third behind Sette Camara, while Nyck de Vries of PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing headed Norris and Fuoco for fourth. Roberto Merhi (MP Motorsport) grabbed seventh in the final stages of the session, ahead of eighth-placed George Russell (ART) and Roy Nissany (Campos), as Aitken completed the top half of the field.
    Qualifying will take place this afternoon and, with four different winners on the grid after just two rounds, should be a very closely-contested affair.
    2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship Round 3 Free Practice – Barcelona, Spain
    Driver
    Team
    Time
    Laps
    1
    Alexander Albon
    DAMS
    1:29.327
    14
    2
    Sergio Sette Camara
    Carlin
    1:29.621
    15
    3
    Luca Ghiotto
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:29.764
    16
    4
    Nyck de Vries
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:29.878
    14
    5
    Lando Norris
    Carlin
    1:29.991
    17
    6
    Antonio Fuoco
    Charouz Racing System
    1:30.161
    16
    7
    Roberto Merhi
    MP Motorsport
    1:30.182
    16
    8
    George Russell
    ART Grand Prix
    1:30.292
    17
    9
    Roy Nissany
    Campos Vexatec Racing
    1:30.337
    17
    10
    Jack Aitken
    ART Grand Prix
    1:30.387
    17
    11
    Louis Delétraz
    Charouz Racing System
    1:30.438
    18
    12
    Nicholas Latifi
    DAMS
    1:30.650
    16
    13
    Tadasuke Makino
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:30.669
    12
    14
    Artem Markelov
    RUSSIAN TIME
    1:30.675
    16
    15
    Maximilian Günther
    BWT Arden
    1:30.826
    16
    16
    Arjun Maini
    Trident
    1:30.914
    18
    17
    Nirei Fukuzumi
    BWT Arden
    1:31.035
    16
    18
    Sean Gelael
    PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing
    1:31.179
    14
    19
    Santino Ferrucci
    Trident
    1:50.513
    2
    20
    Ralph Boschung
    MP Motorsport
    1:53.538
    4