Spa-Francorchamps, carrying the momentum on Belgian soil
The historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit will host round 10 of the FIA Formula 2 Championship this weekend. After leaving the twisty and unpredictable Hungaroring, the series will move to a high-speed circuit where overtaking is quite possible, but where it is also crucial to find the right balance in terms of the setup. The Belgian venue, the longest on the calendar at 7.004 km, features two very fast sectors mixed with a technical one. Therefore, a good setup balance is needed to avoid compromising any part of the track.
Trident Motorsport comes to Spa in a reasonably competitive form. In the previous round, held at the Hungaroring, Richard Verschoor took a Sprint Race victory, but was disqualified due to excessive underfloor wear. He also secured third place in the Feature Race. The Dutchman will be racing in front of his home crowd, expected to come over to Belgium, and will be seeking his first win of the season in a highly competitive championship that has witnessed 15 different winners in 18 races so far.
Roman Staněk, who narrowly missed the points by finishing the Budapest Feature Race in P11, has a good record at the Belgian track. He was on the podium twice in Formula 3 and scored points twelve months ago in Formula 2 with Trident Motorsport. He aims to raise the bar and experience another competitive outing.
Spa-Francorchamps marks the end of a very demanding stint for the teams, who have been in action for five of the last six weekends and are in need of a deserved break. After the race in the Ardennes, there will be about a month off before the series resumes at Trident Motorsport's home track in Monza.
Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager: "All teams and drivers can't wait to race at Spa-Francorchamps, a highly-regarded and unique racetrack. On the Ardennes, it will be crucial to find the right balance and understand the circuit well before the qualifying session. Its outcome is always crucial for the course of the weekend. Verschoor had an up-and-down weekend, but the podium in the Feature Race at Budapest was a significant achievement for his confidence and for the team. When we get the right chemistry with the track in the free practice sessions, we are always able to perform at a high competitive level."
The FIA Formula 2 Championship weekend will begin with a 45-minute practice session on Friday at 11:05. Qualifying is scheduled on the same day at 16:00. The Sprint Race will be on Saturday at 14:15, while the Feature Race, the final one for the weekend, will start on Sunday at 10:00. All the action will be covered live by the Sky Sports F1 network.