Formula 2 - Schumacher’s great drive from 19th to 4th

Just gone saw the sixth round of the FIA Formula 2 Championship take place at the Spielberg circuit in Austria. The event got off to a promising start for the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) students, with strong performances in what is always a tricky qualifying, usually complicated by traffic on this short track. Mick Schumacher was seventh, with Callum Ilott tenth and Giuliano Alesi 16th.

Race-1. With moments to go before the start, Schumacher’s car developed a clutch problem. “The team checked it and it seemed ok”, said the German. “But when the lights went out something wasn’t right and I was last away. In the race it was clear we had a good pace but it was all compromised at the start.” Schumacher crossed the finish line in 19th place, having lost a lap at the start. Alesi finished the first race of the weekend 13th and Ilott was 14th.

Ilott. Callum started from the fifth row and was comfortably in the top eight for half the race, but then towards the end, his pace dropped as his tyres overheated. “With 15 laps to go, I was stuck behind a slower car”, explained Callum. “Traction gradually got worse and in the end I was really struggling.” Illot did not fare much better in the second race, involved in a collision on the opening lap which dropped him to the back of the pack. Callum didn’t give up, running a strong which was eventually rewarded with ninth place.

The fight back. Schumacher had to fight hard in Race-2, starting from 19th on the grid. He put on a great show which took him through the field to fourth, narrowly missing out on a podium finish. “Now we can be happy” said Mick after the race. “I want to thank the team for giving me a great car for the whole weekend. I had to come through the field in both races and lap by lap, my feeling for the car got better, both in terms of braking and in managing the tyres. Overall, we can be very pleased with the potential we confirmed this weekend and the result of Race-2. Now we look ahead to the Silverstone weekend.”

Alesi. Giuliano was definitely unlucky in Race-2. He started from 13th but had to retire immediately after the start, when he was hit by another car, which broke his rear suspension, leaving the young Frenchman stranded. Race-1 had not gone smoothly either for Alesi. Starting from the eighth row, Giuliano moved up the order in the early stages, but during his pit stop, he lost over six seconds, which robbed him of the chance of finishing in the top ten.