The final day of FIA Formula 2 in-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya saw Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar emerge as the fastest driver, setting a scorching lap of 1:23.139. This impressive time, recorded during the morning session, positioned him comfortably ahead of his peers, with teammate Josep MarÃa Martà securing a strong second place for the team. Their performance underscored Campos Racing’s excellent understanding of the Barcelona circuit and the effective application of their pre-season preparations.
The day commenced with a challenging start as several red flags disrupted the rhythm of the session. Amaury Cordeel of Hitech Pulse-Eight, for instance, faced mechanical issues early on, causing one of the initial stoppages. Despite these interruptions, Oliver Bearman of Prema Racing managed to set a provisional top time before Campos drivers took over the leaderboard. Victor Martins and ART Grand Prix also showed competitive pace, frequently updating the top times amidst the tightly contested session.
In the afternoon, focus shifted towards long-run simulations and further setup refinements, with Amaury Cordeel recording the fastest time in a session that was less about speed and more about endurance and strategy. The session was again punctuated by a red flag, this time due to an off-track excursion by Franco Colapinto, but resumed to allow teams to continue their race preparations.
PHM Racing’s Joshua Duerksen and Rodin Motorsport’s Ritomo Miyata also made notable improvements, with Duerksen recovering well from a morning crash to post competitive times in the afternoon. The teams utilized this final session to experiment with different car configurations and tyre strategies, essential for understanding the new car’s behavior under race conditions.
As the testing concluded, teams and drivers left with valuable data and enhanced setups ahead of the fourth round of the 2024 season at the Imola Grand Prix. The insights gained from these intensive test days at Barcelona are set to play a crucial role in shaping the strategies for the upcoming races, where the teams will aim to translate their testing performance into race weekend success.
Image: Red Bull
