Round 7 of the FIA Formula 2 Championship at Silverstone Circuit marks the beginning of a jam-packed month of July, with four race weekends in five weeks.
After Silverstone from 1–3 July, Formula 2 heads to Austria’s Red Bull Ring from 8–10 July.
There is then a one-week break before another double-header at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France from 22–24 July and the Hungaroring from 29–31 July.
Such a tight schedule is not unusual for Formula 2, which has a triple-header later this summer in the form of its Spa-Francorchamps, Zandvoort and Monza rounds.
Nevertheless, it is still demanding for the drivers, engineers, mechanics and other team personnel, many of whom will spend most of the month on the road.
Speaking to InsideF2 in a press conference ahead of the Silverstone weekend, Trident’s Richard Verschoor and ART Grand Prix’s Théo Pourchaire explained how they’re planning to tackle the upcoming stretch of races.
Verschoor and Pourchaire both contested the 2020 F3 season, which had nine rounds in 11 weeks. This year starkly contrasts with the 2021 F2 season, in which F2 spread eight race weekends across almost nine months.
For Verschoor, staying fit – but not overdoing the training – is a priority for this July, though he acknowledged that the demands on him pale in comparison to those placed on the rest of his Trident team, who are based in Milan, Italy.
“I think it’s important to keep training during those days, even if it’s lighter,” Verschoor said. “You don’t want to train too much during the days where you race.
“And also, I think for the mechanics, it will be very tough. They spend a lot of time from home.
“You just have one week in between the four races. So, this week I will spend in Italy with the team, preparing for the last two [rounds in] July.
“There will not be much time to rest, but we will try to take the moments we have to do so. Because I think for the drivers, it’s not really an issue. By Monday, you are recovered from the Sunday, and then you just move on.”
Pourchaire was excited about the opportunity to do back-to-back rounds on circuits he enjoys, including his home circuit in France.
“It’s going to be a busy month ahead of us. It’s great to have a lot of races like that. We can enjoy [it]. We can race a lot.
“We have good tracks as well, like Silverstone, Austria… Hungaroring is very good, and I have my home race in Le Castellet, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.
“Mentally and physically, it’s going to be hard, but anyway, it’s a bit easier than what the Formula 1 teams are doing, so we will adapt ourselves.”
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