In an impossibly close qualifying session PREMA showed promising pace in the second race weekend in Austria.
The session saw 21 of the 22 drivers all finish within a second of each other showing just how strong and close the field is this year.
PREMA drivers Mick Schumacher and Robert Shwartzman will start ninth and sixth, respectively. The result is another positive performance for the Italian squad at the Red Bull Ring for round two of the Formula 2 championship.
Their performance confirmed the high level of pace that both drivers have despite the different tyre compounds they have used during the past two rounds at the Red Bull Ring.
At the end of the session Shwartzman had logged the sixth fastest lap time yet the Russian driver was less than two tenths of a second away from pole.
In practice, we suffered from some issues with the car balance, but we improved for qualifying, and the car felt really good. With the supersoft tyres, which were completely new to me, I was a little too conservative and I’m not super happy about my performance. I could have pushed harder, but I didn’t know the limit of the tyres. It’s something to learn for the future. Still, we’re in quite a good position.
Schumacher finished the qualifying session in ninth despite not taking part in much of the practice.
The German will be looking forward to a smooth Feature Race tomorrow after showing some good pace.
Considering that I completely missed the Free Practice session after my ride into the gravel, P9 is a decent starting position.
We’re expecting a wet race tomorrow, so the grid position may not be as crucial as usual. Either way we will try to use our good pace and make up as many places as possible.
Along with the good qualifying result the PREMA team are looking forward to having two Italian races this season with the new addition of Mugello to the F2 schedule.
This second home race is expected to boost the motivation of the team and make for a sensational experience.
The team will be hoping to carry on with their good form when the action continues on track with the Feature Race tomorrow at 16:45 local time (GMT +2)
*Image Credit: LAT Images / FIA F2 Championship
