Talking points from Spielberg

With the dust settled at the end of another enthralling FIA Formula 2 race weekend, at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, we take a look at five talking points from the track.

A drive worthy of a cool down

There was a refreshing taste to the entire Austrian weekend, with F1, F2 and F3 all witnessing new drivers crack open the champagne atop of the podium in 2019.

It was a particularly positive weekend for Honda racers. Ahead of Max Verstappen earning them their first F1 race win since 2006 at the Red Bull Circuit, Nobuharu Matsushita had run to victory with Carlin in the FIA Formula 2 Feature Race.

The Honda linked racer had begun the day in fourth place, but gained a position at the race start when Guanyu Zhou slalomed wide, before slipping past BWT Arden rookie Anthoine Hubert a lap later. Resisting the urge to charge down the rapid ART machine of Nyck De Vries instantaneously, the 25-year-old was careful in plotting his passage to first place. Experience told him to opt for tyre preservation over an early assault and he duly lay in wait.

His opportunity arose in the final five laps of the circuit when the bruised rubber on De Vries’ car started to hamper his progress and allowed Matsushita to eat into the gap between them, before pouncing at the first turn for P1. The Japanese unsurprisingly labelled the drive as the best of his career, and celebrated with a cool down in their awning’s pop-up pool.

Sette Câmara proves his worth

In line with his own high standards, Sergio Sette Câmara arguably hasn’t enjoyed the most prosperous of campaigns so far, having challenged himself to kick on in 2019 with DAMS. The Brazilian begun the season in startling form, enjoying two podium finishes during the season opener at Bahrain.

To his frustration, success slowed from here and he was left to watch on as his teammate charged to an early season lead in the Drivers’ Championship. The Brazilian would have to wait until Monaco for his next top three finish, as he adapted to his new machinery.

Pole position in the following round, at the Circuit Paul Ricard, hinted at further renewed fortunes and he followed it up with an impressive P2 placing. Still, the wait for a win continued and he refused to rest on his laurels.

Starting from third in Sunday’s Sprint Race, the 21-year-old wasted no time in claiming first from Louis Delétraz, after seeing previous race leader De Vries drop to sixth, due to an inadvertent pit limiter activation. Having taken the lead, his win never looked in doubt and he defended gallantly.

The victory has lifted him to third in the standings, 24 Points behind teammate Latifi, and his title challenge is fast gathering pace. Further success in Silverstone and this period could well be seen as the making of him.

Carlin step up

While the weekend may not have finished quite how they envisaged, with Delétraz ending on a DNF, the reining team champions can take plenty of positives from Austria. The British based side started the weekend on a strong footing as Delétraz proved quickest in practice and topped the standings, with a time of 1:14.782

Matsushita then took the baton in Qualifying. The Japanese driver secured a second front row start this season for the Feature Place, running just short of poleman De Vries, and we all know how that ended. The pace of the 25-year-old’s car, mixed with careful tyre management, provided the team with a well-deserved first win of the campaign.

Teammate Delétraz passed the chequered flag in the points and a 7th placed finish handed him a P2 start on the Sprint Race reverse grid. After overtaking poleman Jordan King, the Swiss driver went on to lead the race when De Vries dropped back.

Delétraz was unable to defend from Sette Câmara’s DRS enthused overtake, but harried him down to the dying embers of the race, only relenting when a mechanical issue spun him off the track.

The points gained in Austria have them fifth in the Teams’ Championship, but fast gaining on Campos Racing, who sit just 13 points ahead.

Schumacher’s surge

The PREMA Racing driver’s weekend may have been boosted by the announcement of his Ferrari drive in Germany, when he will take to the wheel of the F2004, but his F2 performance in the Sprint Race was just as significant.

Technical issues at the start of the Feature Race had seen him line up in lowly 18th on Sunday, putting a points finish at the Red Bull Ring in serious doubt. With action in abundance at the front of the field, the 20-year-old quietly went about cutting through the back-end of the grid.

The German managed to make the charge relatively inconspicuously until his name appeared inside of the points’ positions, following a move on Anthoine Hubert. From there it would surely become more difficult?

Nope. His tyres had been managed to precision and his PREMA rapid. He continued sifting his way through the top eight until he came up against Championship leader De Vries in third, who proved one overtake too far. Given another lap though and the German may have had him.

Tyre degradation

All in all, tyre degradation proved to define Round 6, from Matsushita’s majestic management to De Vries’ desperate struggles – the weekend was arguably won and lost with their ability to look after their rubber.

Tyre management plays a key role in Formula 2 and with air temperature soaring over 30 on occasions and the Red Bull Ring as challenging as ever, our young racers will have gained valuable experience points in Austria.