It’s back to business for the stars of the Formula 2 grid, as the Championship returns to the historic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the Round 11 of the 2022 campaign.

After recharging their batteries over the summer break, the field will need all the energy they can get around the notoriously demanding track. With the possibility of rain looming over the weekend, they’ll have to shake off any rustiness quickly at the start of what could prove to be a title-deciding triple header.

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WHAT TO EXPECT

Felipe Drugovich has held firm at the top of the Drivers’ Championship since the conclusion of the fourth round in Barcelona. However, as the end of the season draws ever closer, so too does the duel for the title. Three podium finishes and a third victory of the year last time out in the Budapest Feature Race for Théo Pourchaire has slashed the MP Motorsport driver’s advantage to just 21 points.

There’s a tight battle gearing up just behind them with several drivers setting their sights on breaking into the top five. Currently, Logan Sargeant is third on 119 points ahead of Enzo Fittipaldi and Jehan Daruvala, but with only 34 points separating third from 10th, it’s anyone’s game! 10 different drivers have already claimed victory in as many rounds, could we see an 11th at the Belgian circuit?

Securing a double top four finish in the Feature Race around the Hungaroring has strengthened ART Grand Prix’s hold over the Teams’ Championship with 250 points. It’s nip and tuck in the fight for second, as Carlin leads MP Motorsport by a single point, comfortably clear of Hitech Grand Prix and PREMA Racing.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Returning to F2 for the first time since 2019, Tatiana Calderón is hopping into the cockpit of the #23 Charouz Racing System car, replacing Cem Bölükbasi for the remainder of the season.

After taking time off to recover from a neck injury, Ralph Boschung will be back behind the wheel of the green and white Campos Racing car. He’ll be joined at the Spanish team by Lirim Zendeli, who is standing in for Olli Caldwell for the upcoming round. Meanwhile, David Beckmann continues to race for Van Amersfoort Racing.

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WHERE TO WATCH THE SESSIONS

FROM THE GRID – Jack Doohan, Virtuosi Racing

"I'm very excited to be racing at Spa-Francorchamps this year, it's one of my favourite circuits, especially on this year's calendar. I had a pretty good round there last year (in F3) and I really enjoy driving the circuit so I can't wait to experience it in a Formula 2 car.

"The undulation of the track is unique, especially thinking about how high you can be up at Les Combes, looking back down at the paddock is quite a cool sight. The circuit is super high speed but also mixed with very tight sections in the last chicane and Turn 1, but then Sector 2 is very on the limit. It's also a circuit where you can play around with downforce levels, some people go fully low and others medium. It's a place where it's in the middle neither fully low nor medium is favoured. It's an all-round circuit, but it's also very unique and historic.

"The best place for overtaking at Spa is up into Les Combes, if you make a move into the Bus Stop you have two DRS zones down into Turn 1 and up through Eau Rouge so your chances of getting overtaken are quite high. Whereas if you make a move up into the Combes chicane then the car behind you is going to struggle with dirty air so you have the opportunity to make a bit of a gap before the next DRS zone comes around.

"I would like to get a win in Spa for sure, especially as it's getting to that point in the season, and a solid points haul from two races inside the top five ideally. If we could get a podium and a win, or a win and a top-five finish I would be more than happy!"

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LAST TIME OUT – BUDAPEST

F1’s return to the Hungarian capital had the perfect recipe for another blockbuster weekend of action. Ayumu Iwasa had narrowly missed out on his maiden F2 pole position in Le Castellet, but the DAMS driver was in a league of his own as he claimed P1 in a dominant fashion, over three tenths clear of his nearest rival Marcus Armstrong.

From the lights out in the Sprint Race to the chequered flag, it was all about reverse pole-sitter Jack Doohan. The Australian ace was untouchable across the 28 laps in his quest to bring home a second victory in his rookie campaign, crossing the finish line more than five seconds clear of second-placed Jüri Vips and Enzo Fittipaldi in P3.

Sunday’s Feature Race saw Pourchaire set the stage for an enthralling final four rounds, as his growing momentum aheda of the summer break culminated in a return to the top step of the podium for the first time since Round 3 in Imola. Fittipaldi’s Budapest weekend ended on another high as the Charouz driver secured back-to-back podiums in second, bringing his podium tally up to four this season so far. Lastly, polesitter Iwasa mastered his tyre management to claim third.

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TYRE TALK

The drivers will be bolting on the yellow-walled medium Pirelli tyres and the red soft compound available to them this weekend.

Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Director

“Spa is the longest lap of the season and also one of the fastest, placing a range of different forces on the tyres. This year, there’s the extra challenge of the modifications that have been made to the track, with some new gravel traps and asphalt, adding some extra elements to think about. As the middle compounds in the range, the P Zero Yellow medium and P Zero Red soft are well-suited to Spa, but some management is likely to be required in the races if it stays dry.”

KEY STATS

  • Théo Pourchaire becomes the second driver this season to take home three Feature Race wins, the first driver to do so was Championship leader Drugovich.
  • The points deficit between P1 and P2 in the Championship is the narrowest it’s been since Round 3 in Imola, when Pourchaire led Drugovich by 2 points.
  • Felipe Drugovich remains the only driver to score points in every round of the campaign so far, with 18 points finishes from 20 races.
  • A return to the top step of the podium for Felipe Drugovich in Spa-Francorchamps would see him equal the record for race wins in Formula 2, an accolade currently jointly held by Nyck de Vries and Artem Markelov.
  • Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the longest track on the 2022 calendar at 7.004 KM.
  • The lap record at the Belgian circuit is 1:56.054, set by Nyck de Vries with PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing in 2018.

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