The FIA Formula 2 Championship is set to make its comeback in Le Castellet, France, since the last time they raced in 2019 to replace the cancelled Round Nine of the 2022 season in Sochi, Russia.
The series is supposed to become the Formula One Russian Grand Prix support event. Still, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they have confirmed that they will not replace the cancelled event, which forced the promoters to look at another possible option.
This year, the series aims to have the most sizeable calendar ever in Formula 2 history with a 14-race-calendar. The Circuit Paul Ricard came out as their best solution to stick to the initial plan regarding their effort to save more costs this season.Â
Moreover, the FIA F2 CEO Bruno Michel responded to the decision to return to the historic venue in the hills of Southern France:
“Since it was announced that we would drop one event, we have been working on finding a venue to replace it, keeping in mind the costs. Le Castellet came out as the best option, and we are really pleased to return to the Circuit Paul Ricard,”
“With this added round, we go back to fourteen events as announced before the start of the season. This means that the 2022 season calendar is the most sizeable one we have had since the start of the FIA F2 back in 2017.
“It will be a very busy month of July for the teams and the drivers, but a very exciting one for the fans and everyone involved in F2.”
Last time out:
The FIA F2 2019 Champion Nyck De Vries was the first driver to claim victory for ART Grand Prix from the weekend in Le Castellet, claiming his third F2 win with just five rounds from the season.Â
De Vries impressively took the championship lead by retaining his position at the start, beating the polesitter Sergio Sette Camara second ahead of Jack Aitken.
Later that weekend in Sprint Race, the late Anthoine Hubert became the first-ever Frenchman to win their home race in the FIA Formula 2 championship as he dominated the race from pole, despite getting pressurised by the determined Jack Aitken.
However, the podium was also exclusively made for the rookies, as Juan Manuel Correa claimed second ahead of Guanyu Zhou in the final spot from the top three.
With Barcelona coming up this weekend, four rounds from the 2022 season are already out of the way, and here’s a look at the updated calendar:
- Round Five: Monte Carlo – 26-29 May
- Round Six: Baku – 10-12 June
- Round Seven: Silverstone – 01-03 July
- Round Eight: Red Bull Ring – 08-10 July
- Round Nine: Le Castellet – 22-24 July
- Round Ten: Budapest – 29-31 July
- Round Eleven: Spa-Francorchamps – 26-28 August
- Round Twelve: Zandvoort – 02-04 September
- Round Thirteen: Monza – 09-11 September
- Round Fourteen: Yas Island 18-20 November
