Campos Racing Team Principal Adrián Campos felt his team finally proved their “full potential” with the double points finish achieved in the Feature Race in Round 8 of the 2022 FIA Formula 2 Championship.
Super-sub Roberto Mehri finished third, although a five-second time penalty for track limits cost him an incredible victory, while Briton Olli Caldwell scored his first points in Formula 2, with a sixth-place finish.
“I’m very pleased because we could finally prove our full potential. The strategy was definitely the right call, Roberto and Olli delivered fantastic performances with great pace on both tyre compounds,” said Campos.
The Spaniard was unhappy with race officials who he said the stewards had not been able to show the team that Merhi, replacing the injured Ralph Boschung, had exceeded track limits more than three times.
However, Mehri said: “I couldn’t have dreamed for a better comeback to Formula 2. Campos Racing proved to be a top team, despite a five-second penalty, I want to thank Campos Racing for such an amazing weekend.”
Mehri had crossed the line second, only to be demoted to fifth with his added five seconds, but the post-race disqualification of on-track winner Richard Verschoor and a 20-second penalty for PREMA Racing’s Jehan Daruvala promoted the Spanish driver back up to third.
Those penalties also impacted Olli Caldwell, who had finished eighth on the track, but gained two more places and doubled his points scored, rising to sixth in the classification.
Caldwell’s points, as well as those for Marino Sato, leave Charouz driver Cem Bölükbasi as the only driver yet to score.
And while Campos’ position in the teams’ championship has not improved, they are now only three points adrift of DAMS in eighth.
Image: Campos Racing
