Olli Caldwell, and the Campos team took a gamble on tyres in Austria, and it paid off. The young Briton finished in sixth after starting on the last row of the grid in P22, grabbing his first points in the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
“Qualifying wasn’t what we expected, unfortunately I had a lap deleted and we started at the back.
“In the Feature Race it was very 50/50 coming onto the grid after the two preparation laps. Starting at the back there was nothing really to lose, we could predict, as long as it didn’t rain, it was dry at some point in the race.
“Luckily the sun came out and it dried a lot quicker than what we were expecting. So just to go on the slick tyres, like I said there was nothing really to risk there, and it was a gamble that paid off. Sometimes they pay off and sometimes they don’t. And when they do you always see people win massively.”
Referenced often as a stand-out performance and win in F2, is Nobuharu Matsushita, who started the 2020 Catalunya Feature Race from 18th on the grid. His MP team pitted him just before a collision between Giuliano Alesi and Sean Gelael, and the Japanese racer maximised the pit stop with a final dash to the line, after a third Safety Car period.
“The only comparison I have was Matsushita a few years ago starting from the back and maybe gambled and doing the ultimate strategy and won the race; I think it was Barcelona. And, so when they pay off they pay off massively, and luckily it was our time in Austria.”
The 20 year old is racing in his first full season in Formula 2, and this noteworthy result will be of massive benefit to him as he makes his way along the #RoadToF1
Image Credit: Formula Motorsport Limited
