Imola, a competitive weekend in front of a friendly crowd
The long pause is over for the FIA Formula 2 Championship as the cars are set to be back racing for round four of the year at Imola. Although the championship’s last outing was five weeks ago in Melbourne, its stars did not stay idle, entering the second collective test of the year from April 23rd to 25th at Montmelò. The teams used the three days of collective testing to prepare for the first competitive trip to Europe, and both Trident Motorsport drivers completed almost 200 laps, which provided a very important set of info for the rest of the season.
Imola is an "old style" circuit with gravel escape routes that leave no margin for error, and bent straights that make overtaking a matter for specialists. Trident Motorsport is showing good credentials for its home race. In the first three races of the year, the Ossona-based squad scored 12 points with Richard Verschoor and 10 with Roman Staněk, who achieved his first career win in the Sprint Race in Melbourne. For Trident Motorsport, the coming weekend will be the first in front of the home crowd. Fan support will definitely bring an extra motivation boost to deliver a highly competitive run.
Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager: “We are aiming for a competitive weekend in Imola for several reasons. It will be the first time this year in front of our fans, and it will be important to do well in the first European race of the season. In addition, we want to carry on the momentum after the victory with Staněk in Melbourne. The level of the series is very high this year, and we know that we will have to be perfect to emerge. I think drivers worked well with the technical staff in the preparation activities for Imola and during the collective test in Barcelona. Now, we will have to be good at putting the work done into practice to make a good impression on our crowd."
The FIA Formula 2 Championship will go underway on Friday at 11.05 with the 45-minute free practice session. Qualifying is scheduled for the same day, at 16:00, while the Sprint Race will be on Saturday at 14:15. The Feature Race, which will wrap up the weekend, will start on Sunday at 10:00. The action will be fully broadcasted live by the Sky Sports network.