Invicta Racing has scored a podium in each of the last three events and now heads to Austria for Round 7
The Red Bull Ring marks the halfway point of the 2024 season, a circuit where the team has taken podiums and wins in the past.
The 2024 FIA Formula 2 Championship heads to the Red Bull Ring for Round 7, crossing over the halfway mark of the season.
The high-speed straights that make up much of the circuit’s layout demand a focus on straight-line efficiency and offer more overtaking opportunities than in recent races. But a balance must be struck; stability in the aerodynamically demanding middle sector can also make or break a lap.
Track notes
Opening a lap of the Red Bull Ring is a far shorter run to Turn 1 than in Barcelona. The Niki Lauda Curve is the first of 10 corners, the exit of which is a track limits hotspot; carry too much speed and you’ll run wide over the exit kerb earning yourself a lap time deletion.
Then comes the first of two DRS-assisted straights and an enticing opportunity to overtake. But, after the heavy braking zone and slow speed Turn 3, the second of these straights is immediately upon you. Often, drivers will forgo the first opportunity to overtake to maximise the potential of a successful second attempt heading towards Turn 4.
Following the power-hungry start to the lap, a relentless sequence of corners that demands reliable aero balance takes you through the middle sequence. A downhill right-hander at Turn 4 immediately feeds into another long right-hander at five. Without a moment to breathe, drivers arrive at the double-apexed left-hander of Turns 6 and 7.
The slight curve of Turn 8 greets you on the exit of 7 and releases you onto a short straight. Turns 9 – or Rindt as it is otherwise known – and 10 await at the end of the lap, and the exit of Turn 9 presents another possibility for track limits violations. Lastly, the start-finish straight offers a third and final DRS zone to further aid overtaking.
Team formbook
A second-place finish in the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Feature Race was Gabriel Bortoleto’s joint-best result at the Red Bull Ring, matching a second in Race 2 of the 2021 Formula Regional European Championship visit to Spielberg.
As a guest entry, Kush finished in the top ten of Race 1 in the 2017 ADAC Formula 4 Championship at the Red Bull Ring, but was ineligible to score points.
Invicta Racing has performed well at the circuit in the past too, with Jack Doohan finishing on the podium in the 2022 Sprint Race. But the double-header season-opener of 2020 was where the team really shone in Austria. Callum Ilott won the first of the two Feature Races which Zhou Guanyu followed up a week later with another feature win.
Memorable moment
Heart-stopping racing between Dutchman Richard Verschoor and Red Bull Racing junior driver Ayumu Iwasa provided a thrilling battle for the win in the final moments of the 2023 Feature Race. A well-timed Safety Car may have played into their hands, but they still had to work for it, with Verschoor – who started 11th – eventually taking the checkered flag to make Van Amersfoort Racing F2 winners for the first time.
Quote
Team Principal Andy Roche:
A triple-header presents its fair share of logistical challenges, but I think the opportunities to seize the day and take control of your season far outweigh them. We’ve had great results at the Red Bull Ring in the past, and the three DRS zones mean that even if qualifying didn’t fall your way, you can still fight through the pack. I’m excited to see what we can achieve this weekend.
All local times CEST (UTC +2). Follow Invicta Racing for updates throughout the weekend. Live timing for all sessions can be found here.
