PREVIEW: 2022 FIA Formula 2 Round 7 – Silverstone

After a three-week break, we are finally at the midpoint of the 2022 FIA Formula 2 calendar with round seven of the championship taking place at the home of British motorsport, the Silverstone Circuit.

The track is one of the few on the calendar which has featured in every season since Formula 2’s new era began in 2017.

The Story So Far

The championship leader, Felipe Drugovich, extended his lead at the top of the standings with another strong showing in Azerbaijan on the streets of Baku. The MP Motorsport man finished fifth in the Sprint Race and scored a third place podium finish in Sunday’s Feature Race.

However, it was the two rookies of ART Grand Prix’s Frederik Vesti and PREMA Racing’s Dennis Hauger who took the two victories of the weekend.

The Danish driver treated himself to his maiden F2 win after taking the lead from Jehan Daruvala in the late stages of Saturday’s Feature Race. He followed up his best ever result with a seventh place finish in the Feature.

The Feature Race was also decided late on with Jüri Vips taking himself out of the race from the lead with just a few laps to go, gifting it to Hauger who was pressuring him heavily in second place.

The Estonian driver clipped the wall in the tight castle section and was forced to retire from a strong performance which he started on from pole position.

What Happened Last Year?

PREMA Racing’s Oscar Piastri took the first of five consecutive pole position’s in last year’s race weekend, the start of his period of dominance which saw him race his way to the Formula 2 crown.

The Australian driver took the lead of the championship after leader Zhou Guanyu’s spin and retirement of the first lap of the first Sprint Race.

Trident’s Richard Verschoor had a dream weekend after starting the second Sprint Race on pole position and staying in first throughout the race to claim his first win in Formula 2.

Championship rivals, Piastri and Guanyu, battled once more in the Feature Race with the Chinese driver taking the lead from Piastri at turn 1 of the first lap. Piastri eventually dropped down the third place but kept his lead in the championship over Guanyu by five points.

Van Amersfoort Racing’s Jake Hughes will experience his first taste of a home race at Silverstone in Formula 2, after previously standing on the podium in the 2020 FIA Formula 3 season.

“I’m buzzing to be racing at Silverstone this year! It’s been an amazing atmosphere. There are a few places like Silverstone, Monza, Spa and Zandvoort that a driver really looks forward to, but being British Silverstone is the one I’m most looking forward to.”

Known for it’s low-drag, high-speed layout, Silverstone Circuit can be kind to those who risk a lot which the experienced racer in Hughes knows, “The section from Copse to Stowe is one of the best peices of race track in the world.”

“That’s the thing with racing drivers, we like fast corners because they’re a challenge and because there’s adrenaline and risk versus reward. There’s a lot of that at Silverstone.”

Another thing that Silverstone is known well for is its harsh tyre wear, “The track is one of the roughest on the calendar for tyre wear.”

“With high-speed corners we tend to suffer from the front axle more and being a clockwise track, the front left is usually the main limitation but it’s more of what we refer to as a thermal wear track.”

The Brit driver would love to take his podium from Formula 3 just one step higher in Formula 2, “I’ve come close to winning and getting on the podium multiple times but it’s my first time here in F2, at the highest point of the junior racing ladder.”

“If I could get on the podium or even aim to get the win, that would be something I’ll never forget.”

Track Facts

Distance: 5.891km (3.660 miles)
Total Turns: 18
DRS Zones: 2
Available Tyre Compounds: Hard/Soft
Lap Record: 1:38.182 by Zhou Guanyu in 2019 (UNI-Virtuosi Racing)
2021 Pole Position: 1:39.854 by Oscar Piastri (PREMA Racing)

Weekend Schedule

Free Practice: Friday – 10:45 BSTQualifying: Friday – 17:30 BSTSprint Race: Saturday – 17:00 BSTFeature Race: Sunday – 10:05 BST