Hitech looks to consolidate its F2 championship lead
Round 6 - Barcelona - Preview
Round 6 of the FIA Formula 2 Championship is the final race of the intensive triple-header that began in Imola two weeks ago before heading along the coast to Monaco last weekend. This week, Hitech TGR have moved to Barcelona, where the 2025 action began when the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya played host to pre-season testing.
The 4.657 km track is something of a home from home. Most drivers have spent a lot of time here during the earlier stages of their single-seater careers and Luke Browning and Dino Beganovic are no exception. Consequently, it’s a circuit they know very well and after the singular challenge of the Monaco streets, Barcelona marks a return to the more traditional circuits.
Last time out, Luke brought his podium tally to five in five races, and with another points finish on Sunday he took enough points to leapfrog Dunne for the lead in the Driver Standings. Those points also helped Hitech extend its lead in the Teams’ battle. While there are still nine rounds remaining, how you start the season in Formula 2 is often key to how you finish.
Dino had a more challenging time in Monaco but he has put that behind him and will be looking to return to the form that saw him achieve pole position and a podium in Imola at the start of the triple-header.
The 4.657 km Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is an ‘all-rounder’ with long straights and a variety of corners. What was a slow chicane at the end of the lap was reconfigured in 2023 into two super-fast corners, which has increased the overall high-speed nature of the track.
The tyres selected for this weekend are the Hard and Soft, two compound steps and the same choice as last year. The many high-speed corners cause the tyres to be subjected to very high lateral loads and the Prime strategy for Sunday’s Feature Race tends to be an opening stint on the Hard tyre before switching to the Soft. In 2024 it was an even split with those who opted for the alternative strategy, which allows drivers starting further down the field to potentially make up some places early in the race.
In terms of overtaking prospects, Turn 1 provides the best opportunity, coming after the long DRS zone. Later in the lap, Turn 10 is a further possibility.
Clive Hatton, Hitech’s F2 Team Manager:
“We always look forward to Barcelona because it’s a circuit we know well and we have a lot of data from pre-season testing here, so it provides a benchmark for how much progress we have made with the car since the start of the season.”
Clive continued:
“We are very happy to have extended our lead in the Teams’ Standings but we know it will continue to be a very competitive season and so the focus remains on keeping things clean and consistent in the two races here to score as many points as possible.”
Barcelona runs to a more traditional timetable than the unique four-day event in Monaco. The action gets underway on Friday with Free Practice at 11:05, followed by Qualifying at 15:55.
The first of the two races – the 26-lap Sprint – is scheduled for 14:15 on Saturday, while Sunday’s 37-lap Feature Race begins at 10:00 local.