AIX Racing Testing Round-Up: Building on progress

2024 was a season of great promise for AIX Racing in Formula 2. The team earned several podiums and capped off the year with Feature Race victory in the hands of Joshua Duerksen at Yas Marina.

So they enter the 2025 campaign with high hopes of carrying that form on and going even better this time around.

Having completed the pre-season test around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, how is the team shaping up and how are Duerksen and new teammate Cian Shields fairing ahead of Melbourne?

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Duerksen enjoyed what was arguably his best year of his career to date, and after earning both of his F2 wins towards the end of the season, the Paraguayan driver is hoping to build on that this time around.

His impressive performances last year bode well for what his follow up campaign will offer, as he has a full year of Formula 2 experience under his belt and will know what to expect at every turn in 2025.

He looked comfortable in testing, setting the fifth-fastest time of the week when drivers delivered their best efforts on the morning of day two.

It bodes well for what’s to come and, while we don’t know the exact run plan the team carried out across the event, Duerksen looked every bit as comfortable with the car as he did in 2024.

Cian Shields steps up to Formula 2 after racing in F3 last season, and has his sights set on learning as quickly as possible in his rookie campaign.

Alongside Duerksen, he has a solid teammate to compare himself against and to learn from as he gets to grips with the F2 car further in the opening races of the season.

"We’ll take where we are now compared to where we were two years ago."

The Scotsman was able to achieve plenty of mileage across the test, one of the rookies to avoid causing a Red Flag stoppage from start to finish in the test.

He therefore was able to maximise his track time without having to adapt the original plan due to a stoppage or off-track excursion. It should help in his preparations for Round 1 as he and the team review all of the data.

Team Principal Morne Reinecke was happy with the team’s efforts across the test, as the AIX outfit accumulated 398 laps across the three days.

Duerksen led the way on mileage as he logged 203 tours of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. However, Shields was not far behind as the Scottish driver completed 195 laps in his own right.

“I think all around it went pretty well,” Reinecke said. “The car is in one piece so all round the feedback was good from the drivers. The team is happy with where the car is, so I think that’s positive for the year to come.

“I’m very happy with Joshua. His work ethic and feedback to the team and the progress they’re making together is phenomenal. It’s exactly what we wanted. It’s slightly ahead and more than what we expected, but we’ll take where we are now compared to where we were two years ago.

“Cian – it’s a steep learning curve for him coming from F3. He had the last two rounds last year which has put him in good stead. That was the right choice as a team also. His ability to provide feedback with the team effectively, it’ll take him a while to find his feet the same as any other rookie, but all round happy with both drivers. We can’t wait to get going in Melbourne.”