Hitech GP made their debut in Formula 2 last weekend. The team are well known for their winning mentality but had a slow start to their Formula 2 challenge.
However, the message from the British team is positive ahead of a new weekend of racing in Austria.
Both Luca Ghiotto and Nikita Mazepin were unable get into the points despite some good performance in qualifying, particularly from the Italian.
In the feature race Mazepin suffered a mechanical problem during his pitstop then got a five second time penalty for a safety car infringement. However, the Russian driver is looking forward to the next round.
He said: “We didn’t have the best start to the weekend, despite our best efforts. A few things compromised our performance. Nevertheless, we have shown good speed. I am very comfortable in the team and I am sure that round two will be a step forward!”
Entering his fifth season in Formula 2, Ghiotto’s experience couldn’t help him as he suffered a double non-finish. In the feature race the 25-year-old failed to start due to mechanical issues and in the sprint race he was spun round by Carlin’s Jehan Daruvala and forced to retire.
“It was a challenging first round for us, so all eyes on this weekend, hopefully we can come back stronger. I think we have good pace, the first few laps we did were promising in race two so I am positive on the speed side. Let’s try and have a clean weekend and score some points.”
Both drivers will want to make their mark on the championship and showcase themselves in front of the Formula 1 grid this weekend in Austria when Formula 2 returns.
*Credit: hitechgp.co.uk