Formula 2 heads to Barcelona for in-season testing

Following four race weekends in faraway locations, Formula 2 heads back to familiar territory and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for in-season testing.

Running will commence on Wednesday, giving the teams three days to prepare, practice and analyse ahead of the next round in the Championship at Imola in just over a weeks’ time.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Testing will run from Wednesday, May 10 to Friday, May 12 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain. The first two days will run from 09:00 local time until 17:00, with a two-hour break from 12:00 to 14:00. The final day will run from 09:00 to 16:00, with the lunch break shortened to an hour, 12:00 to 13:00 on the Friday (GMT +2).

Teams will be able to use the hard and soft compound Pirelli tyres throughout the test, with three sets of the red-walled soft compound and five of the white-marked hards available.

The drivers will also be getting used to the revised layout of the circuit that bypasses the final chicane. Sector 3 now finishes with the two fast right-handers of Turns 13 and 14. It will be the same layout that is used on the Spanish Grand Prix weekend and Round 7 of the FIA F2 season in June.

THE CHALLENGERS

• After securing yet another podium in the Baku Feature Race, Théo Pourchaire moved to the top of the Drivers’ Championship for ART Grand Prix, now on 65 points.
• Frederik Vesti’s consistency has allowed him to climb the standings. A Sprint Race podium in Baku moved the PREMA Racing driver into P2 and 62 points.
• Despite a difficult round last time out, Ayumu Iwasa’s early season work keeps him in contention. The DAMS driver is now third in the Drivers’ Championship on 58 points.
• Oliver Bearman’s history-making weekend in Baku lifts the PREMA driver from 16th in the Championship to fourth. The Briton, who just turned 18 years old, now sits on 41 points.
• Bearman and Vesti’s points in Azerbaijan also lifts PREMA Racing into the lead of the Teams’ Standings. The Italian team is the first into triple digits, now on 103 points.
• Kush Maini is the most consistent driver on the grid currently, scoring points in all but one race so far this season. His form is good enough to put the Campos Racing rookie on 41 points, fifth in the Championship.

WHERE TO FOLLOW

Live timing will be available throughout the three days of testing via the official FIA Formula 2 website. End-of-day reports will also recap all of the action following the chequered flag after each of the three days have concluded, with driver interviews also posted.

2023 FIA FORMULA 2 IN-SEASON TEST BARCELONA ENTRY LIST