PREVIEW: 2022 FIA Formula 2 Round 11 – Spa-Francorchamps

The excruciatingly long summer break is finally at an end and we can look forward to round eleven of the 2022 FIA Formula 2 championship which returns to the iconic Belgian woodlands of Circuit de Spa–Francorchamps.

With this race weekend being the first of a triple header which will see the grid head to Zandvoort and Monza, respectively, the drivers will need to be laser focused for the next six races they will have to compete over in the next sixteen days.

The Story So Far

Heading into the final four rounds of the season, Felipe Drugovich still sits at the top of the drivers’ standings ahead of long time championship rival Théo Pourchaire.

The two talented youngsters have been battling out since the very start of the season and with the Frenchman winning the Budapest Feature Race last time out, he closes the gap to the Brazilian to just twenty-one points.

It was Ayumu Iwasa who put it on pole at the Hungaroring in round ten, with it being his maiden pole after a string of impressive qualifying performances in the rounds prior.

Virtuosi Racing’s Jack Doohan held off Jüri Vips in the Sprint Race to take his second win of the season in an impressive rookie campaign for the Alpine junior driver.

With the news of David Beckmann replacing Jake Hughes at Van Amersfoort Racing permanently for the rest of the season breaking just a few days before the close of the summer break, there was also another driver change elsewhere on the grid.

Tatiana Calderón was announced as Cem Bölükbasi’s replacement at Charouz Racing System after the Turkish driver’s contract was terminated due to a financial dispute between himself and the team.

The return to Formula 2 for the Colombian driver marks the first time back in the category since her stint with BWT Arden in 2019.

What Happened Last Year?

The legendary Belgian track didn’t feature on the 2021 Formula 2 calendar as it was instead used in the 2021 FIA Formula 3 championship instead.

During that race weekend, one familiar name took all the plaudits as he manoeuvred his way through tricky conditions to win two out of the three races to ignite the championship battle as they headed into the final two rounds.

That name was of course Jack Doohan who was racing for Trident and after coming off the back of his Sprint win in Budapest, he is hungry for more trips to the top step of the podium.

Speaking to Formula 2 ahead of the weekend, the Australian said, “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 and I really enjoy driving the circuit so I can’t wait to experience it in a Formula 2 car.“

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is well-known for it’s presence in the hills of Eastern Belgium and according to Doohan, it’s one of the reasons the track is so special, “The undulation of the track is unique, especially thinking about how high you can be up at Les Combes (Turn 5), 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 an all-round circuit, but it’s also very unique and historic.”

With a high-speed circuit comes plenty of overtaking opportunities and this is magnified at Spa. From La Source (Turn 1) to Les Combes (Turn 5), the drivers are expected to have the throttle pedal pushed down the for the entirety of the 2.015km.

“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.”

With Doohan currently sitting in ninth place in the championship standings, he’s looking for a good weekend to bump him further up the table, “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 ideally.”

“If I could get a podium and a win, or a win and a top five finish then I would be more than happy!”

Track Facts

Distance: 7.004km (4.352 miles)
Total Turns: 19
DRS Zones: 2
Available Tyre Compounds: Medium/Soft
Lap Record: 1:56.054 by Nyck de Vries in 2018 (PREMA Racing)
2020 Pole Position: 1:57.593 by Yuki Tsunoda (Carlin)

Weekend Schedule

Free Practice: Friday – 10:35 BST (11:35 Local)Qualifying: Friday – 17:30 BST (18:30 Local)Sprint Race: Saturday – 17:00 BST (18:00 Local)Feature Race: Sunday – 09:20 BST (10:20 Local)