One week on from the Monaco round, the Formula 2 and Formula 3 championships are back on track at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, with the Ferrari Driver Academy represented by Arthur Leclerc and Oliver Bearman racing in the senior category, looking to make up for a poor showing in the Principality, while in the junior one, Dino Beganovic is expecting to build on his podium finish last time out.
Formula 2 and Formula 3 moves on from the world’s most famous street circuit to the permanent track at Montmeló, regarded as a great test bench for both cars and drivers, boasting a mix of corner types which is a stern test of car set-up. Arthur Leclerc and Oliver Bearman are both hoping to make up for the disappointment of the previous round where they failed to score points, after mistakes and bad luck in qualifying meant they were unable to show what they can do given the difficulty of moving up the order in Monaco. “Here at the Catalunya circuit, Arthur and Oliver will be looking to turn the page,” commented the head of the FDA, Marco Matassa. “On paper, there is less chance of unpredictability affecting the outcome at the Spanish track, but nevertheless a strong qualifying is still important if you want to aim for a podium finish. The aim is to put Monaco behind them and to go again, knowing they have what they need to do well.”
Formula 3. Dino Beganovic arrives in Spain on the crest of a wave, having finished a strong second in Monaco. The 19 year old Swede was fastest in his qualifying group and went from second on the grid to second at the flag. It was his second podium finish of the season and promoted him to fourth in the very compact standings. “Dino did a great job last weekend,” commented Matassa. “He is growing in stature race after race in a category that is tough for rookies. This weekend he faces an interesting test, as he has never been particularly keen on the Catalunya circuit, but he arrives here on top form and should be able to break that jinx and there is nothing to stop him having another strong weekend.”
Programme
Friday
09.55 F3 practice
11.05 F2 practice
15.00 F3 qualifying
15.55 F2 qualifying
Saturday
10.30 F3 Sprint Race
14.15 F2 Sprint Race
Sunday
09.55 F3 Feature Race
11.25 F2 Feature Race