Slovakian adds name to entry list for rounds 13 and 14 this weekend

Slovakian driver Richard Gonda will make his FIA Formula Two Championship debut this weekend (7-9 September) when he joins the grid for rounds 13 and 14 at the Hungaroring.

The 18-year-old has previously raced in Formula Renault 2.0 in both NEC and Eurocup and enjoyed his first outing in the JPH1B F2 car during yesterday’s (Thursday) pre-event test, finishing an impressive sixth overall.

Speaking to Formulatwo.com Gonda said: “I’m pleased to be racing in F2 this weekend. Testing went really well yesterday and we didn’t expect to be on the pace of the regular F2 drivers so we’re happy that we were competitive.

“The car is really nice to drive and I was able to adapt pretty quickly although it’s still a big step up for me. We’ll have to see how things go in free practice and over the weekend but I’ve raced here before which should help and hopefully we can be fighting for the top 10.”

Today’s first free practice session gets underway at 11:45 (local time) with full coverage, including live timing, available on www.formulatwo.com.

German takes second F2 win ahead of Tuscher and Zanella

Markus Pommer secured his second Formula Two win of the season with a superb lights-to-flag drive during today’s (Sunday) second race at Paul Ricard.

In sweltering conditions, the 21-year-old got a great start from pole to pull out a small gap over second-place Mathéo Tuscher and maintained it throughout the 19-lap race.. The Swiss racer came home second to round off an impressive weekend for the teenager after his maiden win yesterday and now closes the gap to championship leader Luciano Bacheta. Third place went to Christopher Zanella ahead of Kevin Mirocha with 22-year-old Bacheta completing the top five.

Pommer got away cleanly as the lights went out to lead from Tuscher, with Mirocha getting ahead of Zanella to take third and Bacheta and Mihai Marinescu both getting the jump on Dino Zamparelli. The Brit was determined to retake his position though and came very close to re-passing the Romanian in the opening few laps.

At the front, Pommer was maintaining a 0.7s lead over Tuscher while in the midfield Axcil Jefferies was leading a three-car train for the final points spot. By the halfway stage Pommer had now stretched his lead to more than a second and importantly out of Tuscher’s reach in the Boost Zones.

Zanella then moved up to third after getting past Mirocha up the inside of the chicane with Zamparelli finally getting ahead of Marinescu at the same corner following their lengthy duel. Bacheta also closed in on Mirocha in the final stages but at the front there was no stopping Pommer who now moves up to fourth in the championship standings, just three points shy of Zanella. Meanwhile, Tuscher’s second place helps the 15-year-old cut the deficit to Bacheta to 32.5 points with two rounds (four races) of the season left to play out.

Outside the top five, Zamparelli finished sixth from Marinescu with Daniel McKenzie battling his way back to eighth place. Ninth place went to Plamen Kralev with the Bulgarian claiming his first points finish of the season with Axcil Jefferies ending 10th and his fifth successive top 10 position.

Speaking afterwards Pommer said: "The win feels really good! Everything went well. The car felt good and so was my start. The tyres were great too and it was a fantastic race. Tuscher was quicker than me on the opening few laps but then I was able to pull out a gap and I just drove really smoothly until the end of the race. It’s a great result for my championship and now I can fight for second place."

The Formula Two drivers now have a six-week break until the next rounds which take place at the Hungaroring, Budapest, on 7-9 September. www.formulatwo.com

F2 Results: Paul Ricard – Race 2:

1. Markus Pommer, 19 laps
2. Mathéo Tuscher, +1.222s
3. Christopher Zanella, +2.143s
4. Kevin Mirocha, +6.345s
5. Luciano Bacheta, +7.217s
6. Dino Zamparelli, +7.483s
7. Mihai Marinescu, +13.537s
8. Daniel McKenzie, +15.255s
9. Plamen Kralev, +22.457s
10. Axcil Jefferies, +23.683s
F2 Drivers’ standings – After Rd 12:
1. Luciano Bacheta, 189.5 pts
2. Matheo Tuscher, 157 pts
3. Christopher Zanella, 143 pts
4. Markus Pommer, 140 pts
5. Mihai Marinescu, 135 pts
6. Kevin Mirocha, 96.5 pts
7. Daniel McKenzie, 80 pts
8. Dino Zamparelli, 71.5 pts
9. Alex Fontana, 70 pts
10. Hector Hurst, 27 pts

German just edges out Tuscher with last lap surge

Markus Pommer powered to his second Formula Two pole of the season after edging out Mathéo Tuscher by 0.139s during today’s (Sunday) closely fought second qualifying session at Paul Ricard.

The 21-year-old German put in a last lap surge to pip yesterday’s race-winner with Christopher Zanella securing third at the sun-soaked French circuit. Polish racer Kevin Mirocha ended fourth, after running P2 for much of the session, ahead of Brit Dino Zamparelli.

Track conditions were up on yesterday’s qualifying session with Mihai Marinescu laying down the early benchmark lapping in the 1:54s with Zanella and Mirocha also looking like contenders for the P1 spot.

After their initial runs, all drivers headed to the pits as the halfway point approached with air temperatures now hovering close to 30˚C. Round 11 pole-sitter Tuscher was the first out of the blocks and went straight to the top on his first quick lap, closely followed by Zanella and Luciano Bacheta. The Swiss looked to have it in the bag as the clock ticked down until Pommer put in a superb late lap to clinch his second P1 start of the season after Spa last month.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Bacheta will be hoping for another storming start in today’s race after only qualifying sixth with Marinescu in seventh and Plamen Kralev recording his best qualifying position to date in eighth. Alex Fontana ended ninth ahead of Daniel McKenzie who finished a disappointing P10 after his podium yesterday.

Speaking afterwards Pommer said: "Yesterday I didn’t get a good start and nearly stalled so I’m hoping for better today! My race pace was off yesterday and my front tyre was blistered which made it un-driveable but for today we made a better and smoother set up which made the car feel good and now I’m optimistic for the race."

Today’s second race gets underway at 14:30 (local time) with full coverage, including live streaming, on the F2 website. www.formulatwo.com

F2 Results: Paul Ricard – Qualifying 2:

1. Markus Pommer, 1:52.339s
2. Mathéo Tuscher, +0.139s
3. Christopher Zanella, +0.308s
4. Kevin Mirocha, +0.320s
5. Dino Zamparelli, +0.533s
6. Luciano Bacheta, +0.535s
7. Mihai Marinescu, +0.596s
8. Plamen Kralev, +0.761s
9. Alex Fontana, +0.859s
10. Daniel McKenzie, +0.977s
11. Axcil Jefferies, +1.005s
12. Hector Hurst, +1.378s
13. Mauro Calamia, +1.394s
14. David Zhu, +1.667s

15-year-old Swiss enters record books with maiden victory

Fifteen-year-old Mathéo Tuscher became the youngest ever winner of a Formula Two race with a dominating lights-to-flag victory during today’s (Saturday) sun-soaked opening race at Paul Ricard.

Adding to his previous five podiums, the Swiss racer stormed away from pole and never looked back to claim his maiden F2 victory on adopted home soil. Luciano Bacheta claimed second to maintain his championship lead finishing ahead of fellow Brit Daniel McKenzie who recovered after getting bogged down at the start. Dino Zamparelli picked up fourth to complete a trio of Brits with German Markus Pommer rounding out the top five in the thrilling 19-lap race.

In warm but windy conditions, Tuscher got a lightning start to lead from Bacheta after the 22-year-old got the jump on a slow starting McKenzie and Pommer from his fourth place grid slot. Zamparelli also got away well to move into fourth with Mihai Marinescu gaining two positions in sixth. Further back, a spin by Plamen Kralev, who tried to get the cutback on Kevin Mirocha, collected Alex Fontana bringing out the safety car and dropping the pair to the back of the grid.
Tuscher got away cleanly as the safety car pulled in but Bacheta was right behind him having a look down the inside of Turn 1 but to no avail. Unsettled, the teenager continued to push as he tried to pull clear of the Boost Zones with his lead just under a second.

McKenzie then made a move on Zamparelli, boosting into Turn 1 to move into fourth and dropping his compatriot into the clutches of Marinescu. Meanwhile, Bacheta was now starting to drop back with Pommer, McKenzie and Zamparelli queuing up behind him.

At the halfway stage, an over zealous Christopher Zanella cut short the chicane after trying unsuccessfully to pass Marinescu, handing him a drive-through penalty. The Swiss racer did eventually recover to finish eighth after taking both Axcil Jefferies and Hector Hurst on the final lap.

Up at the front, McKenzie had got the better of Pommer to retake his podium spot and now hot on the heels of Bacheta. Pommer then lost another place as Zamparelli went past him at Turn 1 with the Brit also trying his luck again with McKenzie.

In the closing stages, Bacheta was coming under strong pressure from both McKenzie and Zamparelli, even going straight on at the chicane, but just managed to hold onto the place. Meanwhile, Mirocha finished just outside the top five ahead of Marinescu with Hurst and Jefferies completing the top 10.

Speaking afterwards Tuscher said: "It was an amazing race. I just kept saying ‚look after the tyres‘ in my head! Luciano was close to me and sometimes he would get closer and then others I would make a small gap. I was a bit stressed when I saw him in second position as I know he can push at the end of races but it looked like he pushed a bit too much at the end!"
Tomorrow’s second qualifying session gets underway at 09:40 (local time) with full coverage on the F2 website. www.formulatwo.com

F2 Results: Paul Ricard – Race 1:

1. Mathéo Tuscher, 19 laps
2. Luciano Bacheta, +1.192s
3. Daniel McKenzie, +1.628s
4. Dino Zamparelli, +2.056s
5. Markus Pommer, +6.329s
6. Kevin Mirocha, +7.298s
7. Mihai Marinescu, +17.744s
8. Christopher Zanella, +28.336s
9. Hector Hurst, +28.440s
10. Axcil Jefferies, +28.990s
11. Mauro Calamia, +32.635s
12. Plamen Kralev, +37.943s
13. David Zhu, +49.391s
14. Alex Fontana, +56.903s

Romanian claims second win ahead of Zanella and Zamparelli

Mihai Marinescu drove a controlled race from start-to-finish to secure his second Formula Two win of the season during today’s (Sunday) dry race at Brands Hatch.

Starting from pole, the 23-year-old made a lightning start to pull away early on and maintained the gap to Christopher Zanella, including a safety car interruption, to take the chequered flag. Third place went to Dino Zamparelli who capitalised from a slow starting Markus Pommer to claim a maiden F2 podium and end as the top Brit.

Marinescu stormed off the line as the lights went out to lead from Zanella while third-placed Pommer got bogged down to drop to sixth with Kevin Mirocha in fourth and Mathéo Tuscher fifth.

On the opening few laps, the Romanian had already carved out more than a second lead as the Boost Zones became active, with the closest battle lying for ninth place as a train of four cars lined up behind Hector Hurst. That battle ended badly for Kralev as the Bulgarian tried to pass Hurst on the inside of Hawthorns with the two touching and Kralev having a sizeable impact into the barrier.

Meanwhile, the leaders had now opened up a gap to Zamparelli while fifth placed Tuscher appeared to catch the underside of his car exiting Paddock Hill Bend to spin into the barrier, bringing out the safety car on lap 10 – eroding Marinescu’s lead.

Marinescu got away cleanly at the restart and looked at ease as he set about building his advantage, pushing all the way to the flag to end with a gap of almost four seconds. "It feels really good and I am happy that I won," said Marinescu. "I made up some points on the other guys in the championship and that is what I’m aiming for. I had some difficulty in race two at Spa when I crashed in qualifying where I could have made a pole but it doesn’t matter anymore. This is bouncing back!"

Despite sustained pressure from Pommer, Mirocha hung onto his fourth place to complete a strong points haul for the Pole with championship leader Luciano Bacheta finishing sixth ahead of Alex Fontana.

Daniel McKenzie finished ninth in front of Zimbabwean Axcil Jefferies who claimed his third successive points finish with Kourosh Khani taking consolation from his race one crash to claim the final points position.

The next Formula Two rounds take place in one week’s time (20-22 July) at Paul Ricard, France, with full coverage on www.formulatwo.com

F2 Results: Brands Hatch – Race 2:

1. Mihai Marinescu, 28 laps
2. Christopher Zanella, +3.887s
3. Dino Zamparelli, +14.327s
4. Kevin Mirocha, +15.201s
5. Markus Pommer, +16.009s
6. Luciano Bacheta, +17.181s
7. Alex Fontana, +17.515s
8. Daniel McKenzie, +19.306s
9. Axcil Jefferies, +20.996s
10. Kourosh Khani, +21.872s
F2 Drivers’ standings – After Rd 10:
1. Luciano Bacheta, 165.5 pts
2. Christopher Zanella, 124 pts
3. Mihai Marinescu, 123 pts
4. Matheo Tuscher, 114 pts
5. Markus Pommer, 105 pts
6. Kevin Mirocha, 76.5 pts
7. Alex Fontana, 70 pts
8. Daniel McKenzie, 61 pts
9. Dino Zamparelli, 51.5 pts
10. Hector Hurst, 25 pts

Pole takes superb maiden win ahead of Tuscher and Bacheta

Kevin Mirocha mastered a sodden Brands Hatch circuit to take a superb maiden Formula Two win during today’s (Saturday) thrilling opening race at Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

The 20-year-old Pole got a great start to jump pole-sitter Luciano Bacheta and Max Snegirev off the line to pull away in treacherous conditions in a race which saw two safety car periods. From fourth on the grid, Mathéo Tuscher came home in second to claim his fifth podium with championship leader Bacheta finishing third on home soil.

Heavy rain fell as the race got underway with Bacheta getting a poor start from pole allowing Mirocha to power through into the lead as the entire field struggled for grip. Tuscher had moved into second with Snegirev in third after his best grid start, fending from Bacheta in fourth. The Brit soon got past the Russian though through Dingle Dell and closing in on the leading pair.

With visibility poor, it wasn’t long before the safety car was deployed following a spin by David Zhu coming out of Graham Hill Bend, causing the pack to bunch up again and eliminating Mirocha’s lead. The restart lasted all of a few moments as Snegirev immediately spun across the start/finish line with the 25-year-old colliding with both Alex Fontana and Kourosh Khani to bring out the safety car again.

Mirocha got away well as the safety car peeled in for the second time on lap 10 with the race now running to its 40-minute time limit. At the restart, Hector Hurst was able to take Mihai Marinescu at the restart into Turn 1 with the Romanian then running very wide at Druids Bend. Drivers continued to struggle for grip as the race continued with Hurst now under pressure from Christopher Zanella with the two battling for several laps before a mistake by Hurst at Sheene dropped him back.

At the front, there was no stopping Mirocha and despite a slight mistake at Druids Bend, he was able to control his lead, building a five-second cushion before taking the chequered flag.

Fourth place went to Marinescu with Markus Pommer driving a patient race from the back of the field – following his engine woes in qualifying – to finish fifth. Zanella came home in seventh ahead of Hurst with Axcil Jefferies picking up his second points finish in as many races. Mauro Calamia also collected his maiden top 10 position with Daniel McKenzie completing the top 10.

Speaking afterwards a delighted Mirocha said: "This was just incredible. In the beginning it was like a never ending race in between I had 10million thoughts going through my head so I just concentrated to push a bit more to really focus on the driving. I felt really strong and of course I had an amazing start. This was the key to be in front. It was really good!"
Tomorrow’s second qualifying session gets underway at 10:35 (local time) with full coverage on the official F2 website. For more information, including championship standings, visit www.formulatwo.com

F2 Results: Brands Hatch – Race 1:
1. Kevin Mirocha, 23 laps
2. Mathéo Tuscher, +5.687s
3. Luciano Bacheta, +7.107s
4. Mihai Marinescu, +13.811s
5. Markus Pommer, +15.515s
6. Christopher Zanella, +21.969s
7. Hector Hurst, +26.369s
8. Axcil Jefferies, +27.169s
9. Mauro Calamia, +42.503s
10. Daniel McKenzie, +47.351s
11. Plamen Kralev, +47.685s
12. Dino Zamparelli, DNF
13. Max Snegirev, DNF
14. Alex Fontana, DNF
15. Kourosh Khani, DNF
16. David Zhu, DNF

German leads from Zanella by 0.019s in closely fought session

Markus Pommer led the way during today’s (Friday) closely fought second Formula Two practice session at Brands Hatch, just pipping Christopher Zanella to the top spot by 0.019s.

After having limited running this morning, the German showed just how quickly he’d got to grips with an unfamiliar 2.3-mile Grand Prix loop to post a best time of 1:15.200 – quicker than last year’s pole time. 22-year-old Zanella then led a trio of Swiss racers of Alex Fontana and Mathéo Tuscher with Max Snegirev producing one of his best ever practice results to complete the top five.

Bright sunshine, a rare sight given the recent British weather, greeted drivers as the 45-minute session got underway, with Tuscher laying down the early benchmark and the first to break into the 1:15s.

Zanella was once again up alongside him in second together with Mihai Marinescu and Fontana, but neither were able to follow the Swiss into the 1:15s. 19-year-old Fontana then went quickest while Kourosh Khani was showing he’d fully recovered from his 78g crash at Spa to lie P4.

After running P13 for more than half the session, championship leader Bacheta then moved up into fifth before Zanella reasserted himself back at the top, lapping more than three tenths quicker than Fontana.

Russian racer Snegirev, still chasing his first points finish of 2012, was looking strong in fourth with just over 10 minutes remaining while Dino Zamparelli led a trio of Brits in fifth.

Pommer, who had remained quiet for much of the session, then produced a stunning late lap to take the honours and a contender for tomorrow’s pole position. This pushed the trio of Brits, still led by Zamparelli, to sixth with Bacheta in seventh and Hector Hurst in eighth. Axcil Jefferies hung onto P9 despite an off at Paddock Hill Bend with Khani ending tenth and Marinescu only managing 12th.

Tomorrow’s first qualifying session gets underway at 09:00 (local time) with full coverage on the F2 website.

F2 Results: Brands Hatch – Practice 2:

1. Markus Pommer, 1:15.200s
2. Christopher Zanella, +0.019s
3. Alex Fontana, +0.378s
4. Mathéo Tuscher, +0.485s
5. Max Snegirev, +0.656s
6. Dino Zamparelli, +0.724s
7. Luciano Bacheta, +0.882s
8. Hector Hurst, +0.929s
9. Axcil Jefferies, +1.104s
10. Kourosh Khani, +1.109s

www.formulatwo.com

Brit receives half points in Spa with Pommer and Mirocha on podium

Luciano Bacheta was awarded his fifth victory during today’s (Sunday) second Formula Two race at Spa which was forced to be abandoned due to severe rain, with the top 10 receiving half points.

Markus Pommer finished second with Kevin Mirocha in third with just three racing laps being run at the Belgian F1 track before the race stewards took the difficult decision to call a halt to proceedings.

Due to the adverse weather conditions, the race was started behind the safety car with 22-year-old Bacheta making a god start followed by Pommer, with Mirocha moving into third after passing Alex Fontana on the inside of La Source. Christopher Zanella was also looking racy, taking Vittorio Ghirelli and then Fontana to lie fourth before the safety car was deployed following a crash by Daniel McKenzie going into the hairpin of Turn 1.

As the rain continued to pour down, Zanella went into the back of Mirocha on the run up to Eau Rouge under safety car conditions causing the Swiss to retire and Mirocha to limp around to the pits – subsequently promoting Fontana into third.

There was further drama to come with Brits Hector Hurst and Dino Zamparelli making contact with the two heading straight for the pits. However, with visibility deteriorating, the race director was forced to deploy the red flag and suspend the race for driver safety.

Unfortunately, the 40-minute time limit expired before conditions improved with the result declared final and drivers awarded half points. Due to the regulations the classification was taken from the lap before the red flag came out.

Zanella finished fourth ahead of fellow countryman Fontana with newcomer Ghirelli in sixth and Axcil Jefferies picking up a deserved seventh place. Mathéo Tuscher drove well from his P11 grid slot to finish eighth with Hurst and Zamparelli completing the top 10 of the enthralling race.

Speaking afterwards Bacheta said: "It helped so much being at the front and having better visibility in the spray and my plan was just to get my head down and build up a gap. I was actually really enjoying it and there was only one place where the track was really bad where there was quite a lot of aquaplaning, but the rest of it for me was ok. I understand though that the rest of the guys had a lot of spray to deal with. From my point of view I would have loved to of carried on rather than stop the race because I was enjoying driving and the car felt really good thanks to my engineer who had down a cracking job. I was happy to carry on and the more cars that drove on the track the more water would have gone away but I understand the decision and I’m still happy with the points and the win."

The next rounds of the 2012 FIA Formula Two Championship take place at Brands Hatch on 13-15 July.

F2 Results: Spa – Race 2:

1. Luciano Bacheta, 3 laps
2. Markus Pommer, +2.398s
3. Kevin Mirocha, +3.297s
4. Christopher Zanella, +4.580s
5. Alex Fontana, +5.894s
6. Vittorio Ghirelli, +9.397s
7. Axcil Jefferies, +12.249s
8. Mathéo Tuscher, +14.875s
9. Hector Hurst, +20.828s
10. Dino Zamparelli, +23.600s
11. Parthiva Sureshwaren, +33.484s
12. Mihai Marinescu, +34.078s
13. David Zhu, +35.578s
14. Mauro Calamia, +36.398s
15. Kourosh Khani, +39.868s
16. Max Snegirev, +41.726s
17. Plamen Kralev, +43.810s
18. Daniel McKenzie, +1lap
F2 Results Drivers’ Standings – After Rd 8:
1. Luciano Bacheta, 138.5pts
2. Christopher Zanella, 98pts
3. Mathéo Tuscher, 96pts
4. Mihai Marinescu, 86pts
5. Markus Pommer, 85pts
6. Alex Fontana, 64pts
7. Daniel McKenzie, 56pts
8. Kevin Mirocha, 39.5pts
9. Dino Zamparelli, 36.5pts
10. David Zhu, 21pts

www.formulatwo.com

German takes lights-to-flag win ahead of McKenzie and Tuscher

Markus Pommer drove a superb and controlled race to convert his maiden Formula Two pole into his first series win during today’s (Saturday) round seven at Spa.

The 21-year-old German made a great start as the lights went out to lead from fellow front-row starter Daniel McKenzie and never once looked trouble, building a lead of more than five seconds as he crossed the line.

McKenzie endured a relatively trouble-free race to hold on to his second place with the Brit unable to close the gap, despite starting on a fresh set of tyres compared to Pommer’s used ones. The final podium spot went to Mathéo Tuscher with the Swiss teenager working his way up from fifth after finally getting past a very defensive Mihai Marinescu midway through the race on the inside of Les Combes. The result gives the 15-year-old his fourth podium from five races, moving him up to second in the drivers‘ standings.

The opening lap saw plenty of drama just behind the top three when Marinescu forced Kevin Mirocha onto the grass coming out of Radillon, causing the Polish driver to spin in front of the rest of the pack on the Kemmel straight. As the chasing drivers tried to avoid him, championship leader Luciano Bacheta went into the barrier ending his race and giving the Brit his first non points finish of the season.

Marinescu went on to finish fourth ahead of Christopher Zanella who had a relatively straightforward drive to fifth place from ninth on the grid. Italian newcomer Vittorio Ghirelli impressed to hold onto his sixth spot for his maiden points score with Alex Fontana making a great recovery drive to end eighth after dropping to the back of the field after the first lap incident.

Hector Hurst and David Zhu equally made up substantial ground with the two starting 16th and 18th respectively and crossing the line in ninth and 10th places to complete the top 10 of a thrilling opening race at the Belgian F1 track.

Speaking afterwards a delighted Pommer said: "The weekend started really good with the test where we found a really good set up, and I put everything together in the qualifying and for the race I got a good start and was able to hold onto my lead. My plan was to stay in the middle on the first corner because there’s good traction and although it’s not easy it worked well."

Tomorrow’s second qualifying session gets underway at 10:05 (local time) with full coverage on the F2 website.

F2 Results: Spa – Race 1:

1. Markus Pommer, 17 laps
2. Daniel McKenzie, +5.291s
3. Mathéo Tuscher, +7.276s
4. Mihai Marinescu, +8.192s
5. Christopher Zanella, +17.254s
6. Vittorio Ghirelli, +23.219s
7. Dino Zamparelli, +27.941s
8. Alex Fontana, +28.681s
9. Hector Hurst, +40.918s
10. David Zhu, +45.570s
11. Parthiva Sureshwaren, +45.816s
12. Mauro Calamia, +56.262
13. Plamen Kralev, +1:07.345s
14. Axcil Jefferies, DNF
15. Kourosh Khani, DNF
16. Max Snegirev, DNF
17. Kevin Mirocha, DNF
18. Luciano Bacheta, DNF

www.formulatwo.com

Brit overcomes changeable weather at Belgian circuit

Luciano Bacheta made the most of Spa’s changeable weather conditions to finish on top during today’s (Tuesday) official Formula Two test session ahead of rounds seven and eight this weekend.

The 22-year-old championship leader posted a best time of 2:07.463s during the dry second session at the Belgian F1 circuit to finish in front of Alex Fontana by a mere 0.076s. Swiss teenager Mathéo Tuscher finished third overall to continue his impressive start to his debut F2 season which has seen him grace the podium three times in the last four races.

The 18-strong field, including Italian newcomer Vittorio Ghirelli, were greeted with warm, dry conditions as the first session got underway. 2011 F2 runner-up Christopher Zanella was the day’s early pace-setter topping the first session with a 2:08.227s. Temperatures were hovering around 18˚C for the second session with the majority of drivers improving on their times. It was Brit Bacheta though who came out best of all surpassing Zanella’s previous best by a healthy 0.764s.

In the afternoon, much of the running was hampered by rain with German Markus Pommer topping a tricky third session, which saw just four drivers set a time, with conditions too wet for slicks yet not damp enough for full wets. Mihai Marinescu was quickest in the fourth session ahead of a thrilling fifth and final stint in which drivers could use their overboost.

On a drying 7.004km circuit, Plamen Kralev was the first to switch to slicks, a move which was soon copied by Pommer and Daniel McKenzie. It was a gamble which unfortunately didn’t pay off for the Bulgarian with the red flags coming out after he spun at Turn 14. Kralev was still able to end the day fourth fastest though ahead of Zanella and Marinescu with McKenzie in seventh.

Indian racer Parthiva Sureshwaren finished an impressive eighth ahead of Max Snegirev, who endured a sizeable crash at Turn 12 in session four, with Pommer completing the top 10.

Rounds seven and eight at Spa get underway on Friday (22 June) with free practice one beginning at 11:20 (local time). Full coverage of the entire weekend is available on the F2 website with both races shown live and uninterrupted on Motors TV.

F2 Results: Spa test, overall combined results:

1. Luciano Bacheta, 2:07.463s
2. Alex Fontana, +0.076s
3. Mathéo Tuscher, +0.493s
4. Plamen Kralev, +0.750s
5. Christopher Zanella, +0.764
6. Mihai Marinescu, +1.302s
7. Daniel McKenzie, +1.311s
8. Parthiva Sureshwaren, +1.406s
9. Max Snegirev, +1.682s
10. Markus Pommer, +1.843s

www.formulatwo.com

Swiss secures first win of season ahead of Marinescu and Tuscher

Christopher Zanella secured his first win of the 2012 Formula Two season by taking the honours during today’s (Sunday) second race at the Nűrburgring.

The 22-year-old led from pole but was past early on by fellow front-row starter and yesterday’s race winner Mihai Marinescu. The Swiss bided his time though behind the Romanian, shadowing him until five laps to go before making an identical move to that used on him, driving around the outside of Turn 1 to bring it home until the chequered flag. Mathéo Tuscher secured third with a relatively untroubled drive, his third F2 podium in four races, with German Markus Pommer collecting viable points on home soil in fourth.

Zanella made a good start as the lights went out followed closely by Marinescu, Tuscher and Pommer, while just behind Alex Fontana had been able to get ahead of championship leader Luciano Bacheta. In the midfield, Zamparelli had also made two places from his P10 grid slot while at the front Marinescu made a late-braking move at Turn 1 on lap three, going around the outside of Zanella and just taking the place on the inside of Turns 2 and 3.

Marinescu then set about building his lead – much like he did yesterday – but Zanella was able to keep him in his sights with the gap remaining under one second. Zamparelli, meanwhile, was continuing his charge through the field, getting past McKenzie for seventh to leave a trio of Brits.

As the leading pair began to pull away from Tuscher, Zanella was now beginning to close the gap further, lying within the Boost Zones but waiting patiently before making his move. That came in the closing stages with Zanella producing a carbon copy of Marinescu’s earlier move before building a three second lead to secure his third F2 victory and his first in more than a year. He was presented his wining trophy by German race driver and special gust Sabine Schmitz (pictured).

Fontana’s drive to fifth remained untroubled while sixth place Bacheta had a fairly low-key race by his standards and coming under pressure from Zamparelli towards the end, including an unsuccessful lunge at Turn 1 on the final lap. Daniel McKenzie fought off pressure from David Zhu for eighth place leaving Kevin Mirocha to finish 10th.

Earlier, the start of the race was delayed after Axcil Jefferies‘ car caught fire on the warm-up lap causing him to miss the race.

Speaking afterwards Zanella said: "I had a good start and ran well on the first few laps but then with the boost Mihai was able to overtake me. Then I decided to wait a bit and then at the end I took my chance and made a good move around the outside of Turn 1. I just kept pushing after that!"

The next rounds of the 2012 FIA Formula Two Championship take place on 22-24 June at Spa.

F2 Results: Nűrburgring, Race 2:
1. Christopher Zanella, 19 laps
2. Mihai Marinescu, +3.092s
3. Mathéo Tuscher, +11.856s
4. Markus Pommer, +15.574s
5. Alex Fontana, +17.819s
6. Luciano Bacheta, +21.280s
7. Dino Zamparelli, +22.282s
8. Daniel McKenzie, +23.537s
9. David Zhu, +24.551s
10. Kevin Mirocha, +25.023s
11. Hector Hurst, +40.114s
12. Parthiva Sureshwaren, +41.124s
13. Mauro Calamia, +41.688s
14. Max Snegirev, +1 lap
15. Plamen Kralev, DNS
16. Axcil Jefferies, DNS

F2 Championship Standings – After Rd 6:
1. Luciano Bacheta, 126pts
2. Christopher Zanella, 82pts
3. Mathéo Tuscher, 79pts
4. Mihai Marinescu, 74pts
5. Alex Fontana, 55pts
6. Markus Pommer, 51pts
7. Daniel McKenzie, 38pts
8. Kevin Mirocha, 32pts
9. Dino Zamparelli, 30pts
10. David Zhu, 20pts

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Romanian secures second F2 victory ahead of Bacheta and Zanella

Mihai Marinescu was the man to finally end Luciano Bacheta’s unbeaten record by securing victory during today’s (Saturday) opening Formula Two race at the Nűrburgring.

Starting from pole, the 23-year-old led from start to finish to pick up his second F2 win since Monza last year. He was followed home by championship leader Luciano Bacheta with Christopher Zanella picking up the final podium spot after a superb drive from seventh on the grid.

The Romanian led as the lights went out with Kevin Mirocha quickly getting up alongside Bacheta with the Brit just managing to hold him off around Turn 1 while the Pole slotted into P3. Just behind, a slow starting Daniel McKenzie lost his third-place grid slot to Swiss teenager Mathéo Tuscher with Zanella and Alex Fontana following closely.

At the front Marinescu tried hard to pull away but was unable to shake his mirrors of Bacheta in a repeat of the battle we saw at Silverstone back in April during the opening rounds. Meanwhile, McKenzie was coming under increasing pressure from Zanella, allowing the top four to edge away. A few laps later McKenzie was forced to succumb to the pressure of Zanella with the 2011 F2 runner-up going around the outside at Turn 1 before cutting back through Turn 3 for fifth spot.

In clear air, Zanella was then able to push and catch the back of Tuscher who in turn was right up with Mirocha. Tuscher then tried to pass around the outside of Turn 1 but Mirocha gave him no room as the two ran very wide allowing Zanella to join the fight. The three then went three-a-breast into Turn 1 soon after with somehow the three emerging in the same order, all the while allowing the leading pair to pull away.

Zanella then got the better of his fellow countryman over the start/finish straight and now turning his attention to chasing down Mirocha for the final podium spot which he did shortly after at Turn 2.

Bacheta had no reply to Marinescu’s pace though with the gap now more than three seconds, leaving the Brit to settle for second. Mirocha and Tuscher completed the top five with Fontana in sixth and Chinese racer David Zhu in seventh.

McKenzie eventually crossed the line eighth after losing out to Zhu in the closing stages while German Markus Pommer endured a difficult home event to only manage ninth. Hector Hurst continued his unbeaten points run with 10th with Plamen Kralev narrowly missing out on a points score in P11.

Speaking afterwards Marinescu said: "It feels really good! I really missed the podium at the last race so it’s nice to be back. Last year I also missed out on the podium with a difficult weekend and I feel it’s where I lost the championship so it’s great to win here and was confident I could do it."

Tomorrow’s second qualifying session gets under way at 9:00 (local time) tomorrow with full coverage and live timing on the F2 website.

F2 Results: Nűrburgring, Race 1:

1. Mihai Marinescu, 20 laps
2. Luciano Bacheta, +3.428ss
3. Christopher Zanella, +5.836s
4. Kevin Mirocha, +13.380s
5. Mathéo Tuscher, +13.921s
6. Alex Fontana, +14.776s
7. David Zhu, +15.254s
8. Daniel McKenzie, +21.769s
9. Markus Pommer, +28.465s
10. Hector Hurst, +31.315s
11. Plamen Kralev, +35.289s
12. Parthiva Sureshwaren, +35.701s
13. Dino Zamparelli, +51.557s
14. Axcil Jefferies, +52.150s
15. Mauro Calamia, +2 laps
16. Max Snegirev, DNF

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Romanian keeps cool during sun-soaked session to take front row start

Mihai Marinescu kept his cool during this morning’s (Saturday) sun-soaked Formula Two qualifying session at the Nűrburgring to secure pole for today’s opening race.

The 23-year-old Romanian set his best lap late in the session to just edge out championship leader Luciano Bacheta by 0.330s, with fellow countryman Daniel McKenzie securing a personal best in third.

The sun shone bright over the 5.148km track as the 30-minute session got underway with McKenzie setting a strong early benchmark lapping in the 1:46s – significantly up on the best time from yesterday’s free practice.

Marinescu, Christopher Zanella and Alex Fontana were all looking P1 contenders too before the majority of the field pitted for fresh Yokohama tyres. Bacheta, meanwhile, stayed out on track and in clear air went even quicker than McKenzie to secure provisional pole.

Further down, German Markus Pommer, racing on home soil this weekend, and Mathéo Tuscher were still yet to set quick laps with less than 10 minutes remaining as Dino Zamparelli then went fifth with Mauro Calamia looking strong in P7, just ahead of Parthiva Sureshwaren.

At the top, Pole Kevin Mirocha then moved up to third with Fontana sliding into fourth and Tuscher still yet to set a competitive lap. A quick lap from Marinescu then put the Romanian top as Tuscher went fifth and leaving time for one more lap to improve as the top four headed to the pits. He was unable to go quicker though handing Marinescu his second pole position of the season with a time 1.5s quicker than 2011’s pole.

At the flag, Mirocha secured P4 with Tuscher and Fontana behind him and 2011 F2 runner-up Zanella in seventh. In the end Pommer could only manage eighth with David Zhu in ninth and Zamparelli completing the top 10. Calamia finished P14.

Speaking afterwards Marinescu said: "It’s a good place to start the first race. I just hope to maintain that position! It’s difficult to tell how the tyres will react today but seeing the results from yesterday’s free practice they should be ok. The wind is blowing quite hard here so it might affect the boost strategy for the race but I hope to pull out a big enough gap so no one is in my boost zone."

Today’s opening race gets underway at 13:40 (local time) with live coverage on Motors TV and the F2 website.

F2 Results: Nűrburgring, Qualifying 1:

1. Mihai Marinescu, 1:46.449s
2. Luciano Bacheta, +0.330s
3. Daniel McKenzie, +0.382s
4. Kevin Mirocha, +0.592s
5. Matheo Tuscher, +0.648s
6. Alex Fontana, +0.703s
7. Christopher Zanella, +0.768s
8. Markus Pommer, +0.793s
9. David Zhu, +1.013s
10. Dino Zamparelli, +1.161s
11. Hector Hurst, +1.526s
12. Parthiva Sureshwaren, +1.633s
13. Plamen Kralev, +1.853s
14. Mauro Calamia, +1.974s
15. Max Snegirev, +2.232s
16. Axcil Jefferies, +2.322s

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All 2012 JPH1B cars to feature in latest version of worldwide racing simulation

The FIA Formula Two Championship is pleased to announce a new partnership with Image Space Incorporated (ISI), makers of leading racing simulator rFactor, which will see its entire 2012 grid featured in the brand new rFactor2.

rFactor2 is the forthcoming sequel to the award winning computer racing simulation which has become the standard for a simulated racing experience. Developed by ISI, who also produced the Formula 1™ titles for EA Games, the company has more than 20 years’ experience in the market, developing racing software used by both amateurs and professional racing teams.

Due for release later in the year, all of this season’s upgraded JPH1B F2 cars – featuring new Yokohama tyres and carbon brakes – will appear on the new version, with each one recreated with meticulous detail. Every aspect of the Williams designed car, from handling characteristics through to the pitch of its 500bhp 1.8-litre turbocharged engine, have been captured, aided by Formula Two’s Chief Engineer James Goodfield.

“We’ve spent many hours working with ISI to ensure we recreate the highly sophisticated and new-spec F2 car with the utmost accuracy, right down to the physics and the engine note,” said Goodfield. “We’re very pleased with the results and feel confident it will provide professional racing drivers, as well as amateurs, with a simulation as close to the real thing as possible.”

He added: “Having all of this year’s cars and their liveries featured will also provide increased exposure to our drivers and their sponsors thanks to the global following of rFactor.”

Timothy Wheatley, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Licensing at rFactor, commented: “We are extremely happy to work with the FIA Formula Two Championship and MotorSport Vision to bring the Williams JPH1B Formula Two car to rFactor2.

“It is exciting to know that budding race car drivers and members of the general public alike, will be able to train and have fun with this car using our software.

“rFactor2 is a major advancement in home simulation technology, as for the first time drivers are tested by a changing environment. Drivers will cope with different levels of track grip, changing light, a full wet-dry weather system and an ultra-realistic tyre model.”

rFactor2 is schedule to be released later in the year with further details available at http://rfactor.net/web/rf2/. For more information on the Formula Two series visit www.formulatwo.com