Formula 2: Shwartzman and Armstrong go well in Barcelona

The two FDA drivers competing in the Formula 2 championship have taken part in a three-day test session at the Catalunya circuit. Next stop Monaco.

Yesterday marked the end of three days of testing for the Formula 2 field at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit. All competitors were back on track one month on from the first round in Bahrain for what was a very important session prior to the series resuming in Monaco from 20 to 23 May.

A lot of laps.  Marcus Armstrong and Robert Shwartzman got through a lot of work, evaluating various set-ups, while also carrying out qualifying simulations and long runs. Working to the programmes set for them by their respective teams, both Ferrari Driver Academy students gathered plenty of valuable data for the engineers to analyse in the coming days. Armstrong completed 232 laps, setting his best time of 1’28”670 on Saturday morning. In the afternoon, Marcus did a good race simulation which went off without a hitch. Shwartzman ran a similar programme, doing 199 laps. His best time, a 1’28”491, came yesterday morning which, to all intents and purposes seemed like a qualifying session. He also ended the day with a very quick and consistent long run.

Important opportunity. “The usual Barcelona round doesn’t feature on this year’s FIA Formula 2 calendar,” commented FDA Director Marco Matassa. “But these three days of testing were a great opportunity for the teams and drivers to get through some work that cannot be tackled on a race weekend. Running at a demanding venue like Montmelo gives drivers the chance to get the perfect feeling from the car, while the teams can work calmly on set-up in all the sessions. Marcus and Robert both worked very hard with the Dams and Prema teams respectively and I think they made the most of it.”