FIA Formula 2: the twists and turns of Hungary

With the back to back races in Spielberg done and dusted, the five FDA drivers in F2 now tackle the Hungaroring, a high downforce track which presents a different challenge to the championship contenders.

After Spielberg, the FIA Formula 2 series moves to Budapest for Round 3. Generally the Austrian events went well for the Ferrari Driver Academy students, with two Feature Race wins and four podiums in total. Robert Shwartzman leads the championship on 48 points, five more than Callum Ilott who is equal second with Christian Lundgaard.

Great start.  Ilott won the first Feature Race and Shwartzman the second in Austria, which is a great start. Also in the top five for the FDA is Marcus Armstrong on 34 points, along with Shwartzman tackling Formula 2 for the first time with no sign of beginner’s nerves, resulting in a brilliant second place in his maiden race. The remaining two FDA men, are also in the top ten, even if technical problems meant that Mick Schumacher (14 points) and Giuliano Alesi (8 points) were not able to express their full potential.

Opportunities.  The Hungaroring should provide another opportunity to do well, as the technical head of the FDA, Marco Matassa explains: “It’s a very different track to Spielberg, with fewer high speed sections and more slow corners. It will be an important test for future rounds and this weekend, management of the medium and soft tyres will be a key element in pursuit of strong results.”

Previously.  Schumacher, Ilott and Alesi have already raced at the Hungaroring last year in Formula 2 while Shwartzman and Armstrong also know the 4.381 kilometre track, with Marcus having won here last year in Formula 3 and Robert had been on the F3 podium the previous year. That will stand them in good stead on a weekend when anything is possible. The Budapest weekend gets underway at Friday at 12.55 CET with free practice, followed by qualifying at 17. The first race gets underway on Saturday at 16.45 and the second is on Sunday at 11.10.