2023 Round 10 post-Sprint Race press conference

Thoughts from Hauger, Iwasa and Bearman

FIA Formula 2: Many Congratulations to the top three finishers of the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race here in Hungary. In third place Oliver Bearman for PREMA Racing, in second place, Ayumu Iwasa for DAMS and taking his second victory of the season, our winner, Dennis Hauger for MP Motorsport. Dennis, Australia feels like a long time ago, how sweet was it to be on the top step this afternoon?

Dennis Hauger: It feels like way too long ago, to be honest, it's been a tough couple of weeks but it's nice to have the feeling of being on the top step of the podium again. The team deserved it and I think we worked hard to get up there. The race pace has always been good so starting a bit further forwards we can show it, and show that we were meant to be up there. It's been a bit too long a time since we were up there but it's always good to be back and hopefully, we can gain some rhythm now.

FIA Formula 2: Talk us through the opening moments of the race when you took the lead from Kush.

Hauger: To be honest, I didn't have the best start. I got some wheel spin and the guys behind were pushing quite a lot but Kush had the same start as me. I got a bit of a slipstream and could pull out on the inside. It was quite tight but he kept the space and I managed to brake at the same time as him and make the corner. It was a bit sketchy there, close to the wall, but it was fun. After that, it was just about managing and trying to keep it clean. It's always quite tough around here in terms of tyre management so it was enjoyable and obviously a confidence boost for tomorrow.

FIA Formula 2: You say it's tough around here with tyre management, what state were your tyres in come the end of the race?

Hauger: Not too bad, me and Ayumu were pushing a bit back and forward. In the middle of the race, it was just about managing and staying quite clean. Then you try and pick up the pace at the end, to see where you are at in terms of the tyres. It was not too bad, the groundwork we've done for this weekend has been good, especially for the race pace so I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do tomorrow.

FIA Formula 2: You've always been quick here, what have you got in your locker for tomorrow's race?

Hauger: I don't know yet! I'll have to work with the team tonight and see where we're at. I think the pace is definitely there so I think it's a long race and different strategies can play out. We'll see. We'll just focus on what we can look into tonight and take it from there.

FIA Formula 2: Very well done today. Ayumu, let's come to you now. A great race by you, especially on the opening lap. Talk us through those first few corners.

Ayumu Iwasa: I think I had quite a good jump on the start and then I was able to overtake a few cars before T1. Also, the car positioning in T1 and T2 was quite good, so I was able to overtake Kush from the outside on T2. I think everything was quite ok, that's why I was able to overtake some cars in the first lap. After it was a more difficult race with the tyre management. I think everything was about the first lap.

FIA Formula 2: Was it all about tyre temperature at the start? Is that why you were able to make so much progress?

Iwasa: Honestly, yes. I think if the tyres were not warm enough it was more difficult. I could overtake some cars so it meant I had enough temperature to get good grip in the first lap. I don't think I had a much better margin than other cars so I think it was just a jump at the start and also the positioning in the first corner.

FIA Formula 2: And tell us about the tyre management over the rest of the lap, you set the fastest lap on the final lap?

Iwasa: Actually I was not expecting this good a lap time at the end, but during the race, I had quite a good feeling in the tyres so I was trying to manage them as much as I could without pushing too much. At the end, I was trying to push a little harder to catch Dennis but I didn't have enough speed so I decided to back off a bit to get the fastest lap. The car had good potential and the tyre was ok, so that's why I could do the fastest lap at the end. I think tomorrow will be a bit more difficult with the two compounds so I will need to think about it a bit more.

FIA Formula 2: Very well done to you as well Ayu. Ollie coming to you. Lots of battles for you in this race, how much did you enjoy it?

Oliver Bearman: It was a fun race, maybe not the first half but I enjoyed the second half a lot more. I got a bit unlucky with Lap 1. I got a really good start, not quite up to the front three but I was basically there then Kush ran wide in Turn 1 and I was stuck a bit. So I went a bit backwards on Lap 1 but apart from that it was a good comeback.

FIA Formula 2: Can you talk us through that move on Théo Pourchaire at the end? It looked like a late lunge, perfectly timed.

Bearman: Once we past Kush we had a lot more pace, we were stuck behind him for a long time. When Théo went I knew I had to follow him otherwise he would be gone so I managed to pass Kush around the outside. There were a couple of laps where me and Théo were going for it. I managed to stay within DRS and I was running out of opportunities, I knew the more time I spent behind him the more I was going to struggle with my tyres. I saw the last five or six laps that he was quite weak on braking at Turn 1 so I went for it and it paid off.

FIA Formula 2: What state were your tyres in at that stage of the race?

Bearman: Like I said, once we passed Kush, Théo started going for some quali laps to break the DRS and I managed to stay with him but that meant we had to push quite a lot. It was nice to get past Théo, once you get the clean air it's a big advantage so we held on quite well and the pace was pretty good.

FIA Formula 2: Great race by you!