Formula 2 is back with a triple-header of races that could be defining in the championship battle this season.
Before the summer break, Theo Pourchaire has a strong weekend in Hungary to close the gap at the top of the championship. The racing continues at one of the most historic tracks on the calendar. It is very fast, often subject to varying weather conditions and we have some driver changes on the grid. A very exciting weekend of F2 racing incoming!
Driver News
Following the summer break where news was rather quiet, we have had a flurry of updates for the Spa weekend.
Tatiana Calderon
Charouz Racing System has announced Tatiana will be racing for them for the remainder of the season. The team has mutually terminated their contract with their existing driver Cem Bolukbasi.
Tatiana hasn’t raced in F2 since 2019 but has been busy racing in sports cars and IndyCar. Unfortunately, her last season in F2 wasn’t the most successful, failing to score any points that year.
Here’s hoping for a more successful return to the sport and it’s great to see a female driver on the grid.
David Beckman
Another change till the end of the season is David Beckmann replacing Jake Hughes at Van Amersfoort Racing.
David stepped in for Jake earlier in the season for a COVID-related absence. With Jake deciding to focus his attention more on Formula E, David will continue to race for VAR for the remainder of the F2 season.
Liam Lawson
Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson will be stepping up for an FP1 session this weekend. Lawson will be taking over duties from Pierre Gasly for the Alpha Tauri team. This is part of the young driver initiative that F1 has implemented this season. It is not the first time Lawson has driven F1 machinery, after taking part in the 2021 Young Drivers’ Test for the Italian team. But this will be his first time in a 2022 car.
With F1 seats potentially still available for next season. Any chance to impress needs to be taken when they can.
The Circuit: Circuit de Spa – Francorchamps
Spanning 7.0004 km with 25 turns, Spa Francorchamps is the longest track on the calendar with the race lap record being 1:56:054 set by Nyck De Vries in 2018.
D’ya reckon anyone will be channelling 2018 @nyckdevries when the lights go out this weekend? 🤔#BelgianGP #F2 pic.twitter.com/AWkhqzxx6b
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) August 24, 2022
The track has undergone some modifications to include run-off areas at the famous Eau-Rouge. An attempt to prevent the huge crashes we’ve seen in recent years. Additionally, new grandstands have been built to add even more spectators than the last time F2 was here.
Spa is famous for mixed weather conditions and there is rain expected this weekend. Be prepared for anything to happen!
F2 Championship Standings
Drivers
This weekend gives the chasing pack another chance to strike back at Drugovich’s points lead. The way this season is going, with three race weekends after Spa, we could be looking at a grandstand finish for the championship.
- Felipe Drugovich – 180 points
- Theo Pourchaire – 159 points
- Logan Sargeant – 119 points
- Enzo Fittipaldi – 100 points
Teams
- ART Grand Prix – 250 points
- Carlin – 207 points
- MP Motorsport – 206 points
- Hitech Grand Prix – 16 points
Feature Race Predictions
As we haven’t been to Spa for two years, many of the drivers who performed strongly last time have moved on. However, the track itself is a classic and many of the drivers will have raced here before and know it well. In potentially mixed conditions I would expect to see strong performances from those who have already excelled in such conditions.
Podium predictions:
- Ayumu Iwasa
- Theo Pourchaire
- Logan Sargeant
How to Watch Formula 2 – EDT & GMT
- Practice 08/26 – 5:40 AM on ESPN3 (10:35 AM Sky Sports F1)
- Qualifying 08/26 – 12:25 PM on ESPN3 (5:25 PM Sky Sports F1)
- Sprint Race 08/27 – 11:55 AM on ESPN3 (4:55 PM Sky Sports F1)
- Feature Race 08/28 – 4:15 AM on ESPN3 (9:15 AM Sky Sports F1)
Read Next – F3: Spa Preview, Predictions, and How to Watch
