Madring, the novelty
This coming weekend, the FIA Formula 2 Championship will return to action for the eleventh round of the season. Just seven days after the Monza race, this will be the fourth back-to-back of the championship, and the series is to Spain to tackle one of the season's major novelties: the Madring, Madrid's new street circuit.
Trident Motorsport arrives at the Spanish round on the back of a particularly positive weekend in front of its home crowd. At Monza, the Milan-based team, with operations based in Ossona, took second place in the Sprint Race with John Bennett, who drove an extremely competitive race after starting from pole position. The 22-year-old Briton finished fourth in the Feature Race after a remarkable performance.
Laurens Van Hoepen also contributed to the strong weekend, taking eighth place in the Sprint Race and recovering to twelfth place in Sunday's longest race.
The Monza result allowed the team to score important points and, above all, confirm the strong level of competitiveness demonstrated in the most recent stint of the championship. Bennett leaves the Monza track with a particularly positive balance, having scored twenty points over the weekend, while Van Hoepen showed consistent pace and a strong ability to recover in both races.
The feedback gathered at the Temple of Speed will now be analyzed by the Trident Motorsport technical staff ahead of a completely different event. The Madrid circuit is a first for the FIAFormula 2 Championship and will offer a unique challenge to teams and drivers, who will be asked to build their performance benchmarks session after session.
The new Madrid circuit is 5.416 kilometers long and includes twenty-two corners, alternating between fast and more technical sections. The layout, built on the IFEMA site and surrounding areas, features a semi-urban track and combines permanent sections with road sections. Among the most distinctive features is the Monumental Curve, a long banking, while the track also includes two short tunnel sections and a descent.
The new circuit also offers several overtaking opportunities, so it will be important to find an effective balance between one-lap performance and the car's handling in the race. Limited knowledge of the track will make the work done in free practice particularly important, when drivers and engineers will need to quickly gather information on the car's handling, asphalt evolution, and tire management.
Giacomo Ricci, Trident Motorsport Team Manager: “We arrive in Madrid after a weekend in Monza that gave us very positive feedback. John Bennett took second place in the Sprint Race and fourth in the Feature Race, while Laurens Van Hoepen scored important points in both races. Now a completely new challenge awaits us, as the Madring is a new circuit for everyone. It will be crucial to make the most of every available minute on track, especially in free practice, to quickly understand the track characteristics and find the best set-up compromise. The goal is to continue the good momentum shown in Monza and have another competitive weekend.”
Track activity in the FIA Formula 2 Championship will begin on Friday at 11:05 a.m. with the 45-minute free practice session. Qualifying will take place that same day, starting at 3:00 p.m. The Sprint Race will begin on Saturday at 2:15 p.m. The Feature Race, which will conclude the Spanish weekend, will start on Sunday at 11:25 a.m. All track action will be broadcast live on Sky Sport F1.