A complete debut on the Qatar track
The time has come for the absolute “premiere” of the FIA Formula 2 Championship on the Lusail track, which will host the Qatar Grand Prix next weekend and will see the single-seaters of the formula closest to the top series compete for the first time on the circuit built in 2004 on the outskirts of the capital Doha. This will be the thirteenth and penultimate round of the 2024 season.
The Qatar track will see not only the debut of the category but also of new drivers in the series. The calendar included a break of over two months after the mid-September trip to Baku, which saw Trident Motorsport driver Richard Verschoor achieve a well-deserved success. On the 5,149 km Lusail track, the Dutch driver will be replaced by rookie Max Esterson, a 22-year-old American born in New York, who will make his first outing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
Alongside the American rookie, Trident Motorsport will field another driver who is taking his first steps in the category, the 19-year-old Australian Christian Mansell. The driver from New South Wales debuted with the Ossona-based team in Baku, scoring points in both the Sprint and Feature Races. The many novelties, with a track to discover and many rookie drivers, make this event particularly exciting and unpredictable. Anything can happen on the track in the desert, with a flowing design and a long straight where overtaking is easy. Effectiveness and reactivity will make the difference. The drivers have prepared the race with the technical staff methodically and accurately, now they await the response of the track.
Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager: “Since we are tackling a new track for the category with two drivers with limited experience in Formula 2, it will be important not to make mistakes and find the feeling with the track as quickly as possible. I am confident that we can do a good job and express ourselves competitively. Clearly, a good result in qualifying would simplify our task, but it will be important for the technical staff to work well with Christian and Max, who will be making his absolute debut defending the colors of Trident Motorsport, to be able to extract the maximum potential at our disposal”.
The engines of the FIA Formula 2 Championship single-seaters will start on Friday at 2.05 pm when the 45-minute free practice session is scheduled. Qualifying will take place on the same day, from 7.10 pm. On Saturday, the Sprint Race will start at 7.20 pm. The Feature Race, which will wrap up the weekend, is set to kick off on Sunday at 3.20 pm. The on-track activity will be broadcast live on Sky Sport F.1, while the times are given in local time, two hours ahead of Central European Time.