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2022 F2 In-Season Test Roundup

(Image credit: @Formula2)

Roundup of F2’s in-season test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain, as Felipe Drugovich emerged quickest overall across three days. 

Following two tough opening rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, this test offered all drivers and teams a chance to regroup and experiment different solutions to individual issues.

Various challenges however greeted the entire grid across all three days of testing from poor weather to multiple red flags, so here is a full roundup of all the action across all three days of running.

 

Day One

(Image credit: @Formula2)

With a sprinkle of rain lingering through the morning session, Saudi Arabian Feature Race winner, Felipe Drugovich set the initial pace of 1m 29.755 ahead of Theo Pourchaire and Ayumu Iwasa in a relatively quiet morning session amidst three red flag incidents.

Trident’s Calan Williams was the first to cause a stoppage as he spun at Turn 2 before Liam Lawson’s Carlin broke down at Turn 10, whilst Charouz’s Cem Bolukbasi crashed into the barriers at Turn 9 which forced him to miss the rest of the day’s running.

Conditions improved in the afternoon session as everyone except Bolukbasi focused on long runs with Marcus Armstrong setting the initial pace, having posted 1m 29.897 during the various long run simulations.

The opening day eventually concluded with proper single flying lap practice in which Ralph Boschung emerged fastest with 1m 27.929, ahead of Armstrong and Iwasa with Marino Sato and Drugovich rounding out the top five as everyone set their quickest times in the afternoon.

Position Driver Team Time Session
1 Ralph Boschung Campos 1m 27.929 pm
2 Marcus Armstrong Hitech GP + 0.241 pm
3 Ayumu Iwasa DAMS + 0.402 pm
4 Marino Sato Virtuosi + 0.507 pm
5 Felipe Drugovich MP Motorsport + 1.202 pm
6 Theo Pourchaire ART GP + 1.383 pm
7 Frederik Vesti ART GP + 1.454 pm
8 Richard Verschoor Trident + 1.510 pm
9 Jake Hughes VAR + 1.563 pm
10 Clement Novalak MP Motorsport + 1.566 pm
11 Jack Doohan Virtuosi + 1.848 pm
12 Logan Sargeant Carlin + 1.859 pm
13 Roy Nissany DAMS + 1.895 pm
14 Enzo Fittipaldi Charouz + 1.915 pm
15 Jehan Daruvala PREMA + 1.980 pm
16 Calan Williams Trident + 2.046 pm
17 Amaury Cordeel VAR + 2.064 pm
18 Liam Lawson Carlin + 2.251 pm
19 Dennis Hauger PREMA + 2.510 pm
20 Juri Vips Hitech GP + 2.728 am
21 Olli Caldwell Campos + 2.891 pm
22 Cem Bolukbasi Charouz + 3.526 am

 

Day Two

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Despite dark clouds and spits of rain gathering across Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya across the second morning of the three-day test, everyone except Bolukbasi enjoyed a strong morning as the Turkish driver withdrew due to side-effects of his crash in Saudi Arabian Practice.

Richard Verschoor set the initial pace on hard tyres as he posted 1m 29.328 but the difficult weather conditions caused mayhem, beginning with a stoppage for Sato on the main straight.

Iwasa then clipped the wall at Turn Five as he ran wide before Jake Hughes and Olli Caldwell spun off at that same corner, followed by Vips spinning off at Turn 11 before Caldwell broke down at Turn Four.

Roy Nissany eventually finished quickest ahead of Verschoor, Iwasa, Boschung and Williams as the top five overall times were set in the morning session.

After the lunch break, a sprinkle of rain mid-afternoon saw teams stuck in the pits due to track conditions being too dry for wet tyres but not dry enough for use of slick tyres.

Armstrong eventually topped the afternoon session with 1m 29.752 which was enough to put him sixth quickest overall ahead of Theo Pourchaire and Lawson, whilst Drugovich also improved in the afternoon to go ninth quickest ahead of Jehan Daruvala.

Position Driver Team Time Session
1 Roy Nissany DAMS 1m 28.812 am
2 Richard Verschoor Trident + 0.516 am
3 Ayumu Iwasa DAMS + 0.784 am
4 Ralph Boschung Campos + 0.883 am
5 Calan Williams Trident + 0.890 am
6 Marcus Armstrong Hitech GP + 0.940 pm
7 Theo Pourchaire ART GP + 1.025 am
8 Liam Lawson Carlin + 1.086 am
9 Felipe Drugovich MP Motorsport + 1.148 pm
10 Jehan Daruvala PREMA + 1.245 am
11 Juri Vips Hitech GP + 1.336 pm
12 Amaury Cordeel VAR + 1.357 pm
13 Dennis Hauger PREMA + 1.357 pm
14 Olli Caldwell Campos + 1.433 am
15 Logan Sargeant Carlin + 1.573 am
16 Enzo Fittipaldi Charouz + 1.621 am
17 Frederik Vesti ART GP + 1.656 am
18 Clement Novalak MP Motorsport + 2.138 pm
19 Jack Doohan Virtuosi + 5.142 pm
20 Jake Hughes VAR + 6.225 am
21 Marino Sato Virtuosi + 6.463 pm

 

Day Three

(Image credit: @Formula2)

Teams finally enjoyed warmer conditions for the final day of testing as bright sunshine lingered across the track as Lawson set the benchmark on soft tyres, with the New Zealander posting 1m 27.888 on soft tyres before lowing the benchmark to 1m 27.820.

Clement Novalak then caused a red flag at Turn 2 but once the session resumed, his MP Motorsport teammate, Drugovich posted 1m 27.529 to top the final day of the test with the quickest overall time.

All 22 quickest lap times were set in the morning session as Lawson, Jack Doohan, Verschoor and Dennis Hauger rounded out the top five, whilst Bolukbasi was replaced by David Beckmann who finished last but 1.905s off Drugovich’s effort in a strong one-off test drive.

The afternoon session saw everyone focus on race simulations after a brief delay in order to allow track maintenance work to take place, although there were three red flag stoppages as Dennis Hauger, Frederik Vesti and Vips all came to a stop at Turns 5, 15 and 3 respectively.

Vips however emerged fastest in the afternoon session with 1m 29.288 ahead of Jake Hughes and Enzo Fittipaldi.

Position Driver Team Time Session
1 Felipe Drugovich MP Motorsport 1m 27.529 am
2 Liam Lawson Carlin + 0.291 am
3 Jack Doohan Virtuosi + 0.309 am
4 Richard Verschoor Trident + 0.329 am
5 Dennis Hauger PREMA + 0.416 am
6 Ayumu Iwasa DAMS + 0.460 am
7 Jehan Daruvala PREMA + 0.490 am
8 Theo Pourchaire ART GP + 0.492 am
9 Enzo Fittipaldi Charouz + 0.498 am
10 Logan Sargeant Carlin + 0.635 am
11 Calan Williams Trident + 0.693 am
12 Clement Novalak MP Motorsport + 0.695 am
13 Marcus Armstrong Hitech GP + 0.707 am
14 Frederik Vesti ART GP + 0.752 am
15 Ralph Boschung Campos + 0.792 am
16 Jake Hughes VAR + 0.823 am
17 Roy Nissany DAMS + 0.846 am
18 Olli Caldwell Campos + 1.119 am
19 Amaury Cordeel VAR + 1.256 am
20 Juri Vips Hitech GP + 1.275 am
21 Marino Sato Virtuosi + 1.753 am
22 David Beckmann Charouz + 1.905 am
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