With two podiums from the last two events, Invicta Racing is looking to build on that momentum at Round 6
Barcelona beckons as F2 heads to one of the classic venues on the calendar.
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hosts Round 6 of the 2024 FIA Formula 2 Championship and its fast-flowing nature is a far cry from the twisting streets of Monaco.
Two DRS zones and many medium to high-speed corners around the 4.657-kilometre circuit make overtaking easier than it was in Monte Carlo last time out, but the twisting nature of the circuit means it is still a challenging prospect.
Track notes
Opening the lap is one of the longest runs down to Turn 1 on the calendar. A high-speed S bend awaits at the end of the Start/Finish straight, before feeding into the flat-out right-hander of Turn 3 that seems never-ending.
The second sector begins with the right-hander of Repsol. Straightforward on the face of it, but a tightening angle on exit means this corner is more challenging than it first appears. Speeding downhill into Turn 5, drivers must be careful to avoid the gravel trap on exit.
The descent continues towards Turns 7 and 8, a high-speed chicane that finally permits the circuit to climb uphill once again. The ultra-quick right at Campsa is quite the spectacle in qualifying, which then feeds onto the back straight.
A tricky braking point at Turn 10 starts off the third and final sector which is comprised of lower-speed corners but is no less challenging. The tricky low-speed left of 11 gives way to a trio of right-handers that continue to increase in speed until the final corner at New Holland.
Team formbook
Gabriel has fared well at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in previous years, taking victory in the second Formula Regional European Championship in 2022 as well as securing a pair of fourth place finishes last season in FIA Formula 3. Kush, meanwhile, is yet to score a podium at this particular circuit.
In 2019, the team took a pair of podiums with Zhou Guanyu and Luca Ghiotto taking third and second in the Feature and Sprint races respectively.
Memorable moment
A well-timed Safety Car during the extraordinary 2020 Feature race meant Nobuharu Matsushita was able to claim victory from 18th on the grid.
Team Principal Andy Roche:
We’ve now had two podiums apiece with both Kush [Maini] and Gabriel [Bortoleto] in 2024. Combine that with our three pole positions and I think the team is in a really good position to challenge for the top spots as we get into the meat of the calendar. We’ve scored several podiums in Barcelona in the past, so I think we should be on the pace 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.
