FIA F2 Championship, Monte Carlo, Race Preview
Trident Motorsport continues its 2023 season with round 4 at the Monte Carlo street course. It is a prestigious event although full of tricky variables that won’t leave drivers any breathing room. The goal for the team is to experience a competitive weekend and improve its championship position.
The FIA Formula 2 Championship will be back in the spotlight next weekend for the fifth round of the season at the famed Monte Carlo street circuit. The championship will be back on track after a three-week break due to the cancellation of the Imola race.
The event on the historic and exclusive streets of the Principality is highly-anticipated for its unique and challenging nature for drivers and teams alike, with no runoff areas, blind corners and fast stretches with close walls that leave no no room for distractions and mistakes.
From May 10 to 12, the FIA Formula 2 Championship had three days of collective testing, with teams working on their cars to evaluate different solutions. The Monte Carlo track is quite different from Montmelò. It is only 3.337 km long and is the shortest in the calendar. Since it is extremely difficult to overtake there, Friday's qualifying session and the strategies during the races will be key, even more than in the other races of the year, especially in the Feature Race that includes a mandatory pit stop.
Teams and drivers must also be alert for the likelihood of Safety Car or red flag situations that can overturn the order at any time. In the previous round in Baku, Trident Motorsport drivers Clément Novalak and Roman Staněk scored their first points of the season. The goal for the coming weekend for the Italian team and its stalwarts is to quickly understand the track, have a solid qualifying session and set the conditions to improve their respective rankings again. Clément Novalak and Roman Staněk have been working profitably with the technical staff to prepare for the Monegasque event. The Czech driver will make his overall debut, while the Frenchman driver debuted there in 2022.
Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager: "Monte Carlo is a challenging track with a unique charm, where every mistake has a huge price. We worked with great determination in collective testing at Montmelò and in our factory, together with our drivers Clément Novalak and Roman Staněk, to prepare for this event and for the rest of the season. Our goal this weekend is to get good chemistry with the track quickly and be responsive and determined in the most critical moments, such as qualifying and the strategy choice. We are very motivated: the technical staff and drivers will give their best to return from the Principality with a good result and improve our position."
The FIA Formula 2 Championship will start on Thursday at 15:00 with a 45-minute practice session. Qualifying will be on. Friday at 15:10, with the field split into two groups. The Sprint Race will be on Saturday at 14:15, while the Feature Race will go underway on Sunday at 9:40 AM. All the action will be broadcasted live by the Sky Sports network.