Straight to Barcelona for F2 Round 5
Round 5 – Barcelona – Preview
Round 5 of the FIA Formula 2 Championship takes place in Barcelona this weekend as the season makes its first visit to a permanent circuit after four opening rounds on street and hybrid tracks.
Hitech left Monte Carlo with a points finish for Ritomo Miyata, who came home P6 in Sunday’s Feature Race after a competitive run on the typically unforgiving street circuit.
Barcelona provides a more conventional test of performance, and one the field knows well from both racing and pre-season running earlier in the year.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a complete circuit by Formula 2 standards, with high-speed direction changes, long loaded corners and slower traction zones all featuring within a single lap.
That combination typically exposes differences in car balance more clearly than street circuits, particularly over longer race stints. It is also one of the few circuits where outright driver performance can be judged against a well-established reference.
Recent revisions to the final sector have made the lap faster overall and extended the period of sustained lateral load through the closing phase, which has increased the importance of rear tyre management.
Overtaking is still most realistic into Turn 1 at the end of the main straight, while Turn 10 remains the other key braking opportunity.
Hitech have reference data from pre-season testing at the circuit, although like all teams that only provides a baseline heading into the weekend.
Colton Herta will take part in Free Practice 1 for Cadillac in Formula 1 on Friday before returning to his Formula 2 programme for the remainder of the day.
Miyata will be aiming to continue his points-scoring form as the championship progresses.
Jan Sumann, Hitech’s F2 Head of Race Engineering:
“This is the first of a few fast turnarounds that we have this season, but it’s one we prepare for well in advance, including all the way back to pre-season testing over the winter.
“The Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona is a circuit that gives you a proper read on where you are competitively. The first few rounds have all been street or semi-permanent courses but this is where we bring everything together and can really start to build momentum for the circuit races ahead.”
“We’re excited for Colton who is getting his first run in Cadillac’s F1 car on Friday and we wish him all the best for that opportunity. It will be a tricky turnaround – from F2 Practice to F1 Practice and back to F2 in time for Qualifying – so there is a lot to manage across the day. But it’s a common situation for F2 academy drivers and a combination of careful preparation and pure adrenalin keeps things running smoothly.”
Jan continued:
“For Ritomo, he is moving in a good direction and will be keen to add more points this weekend.”
