Soucek takes dominant second win
Spaniard takes seventh victory of the year ahead of De Marco and Wickens

Formula Two champion Andy Soucek took a dominant second victory in Barcelona, leading almost from lights to flag after jumping Robert Wickens at the start.

Nicola De Marco also passed Wickens on the inside going down to turn one, and held second for the duration of the race. Wickens completed the podium despite heavy pressure from Kazim Vasiliauskas, and in doing so secured second in the overall championship standings. Mikhail Aleshin clinched third overall, and the Red Bull-backed duo both qualify for an FIA Superlicence.

De Marco and Vasiliauskas both made fantastic starts, whilst Philipp Eng dropped down the order after a slow getaway from third on the grid. The recovering Austrian immediately set about attacking Julien Jousse for eighth as the pair tussled throughout the opening laps.

Alex Brundle made a good move by Gachnang to sneak into 12th, as Soucek was building a sizeable gap at the front. De Marco was under pressure from Wickens and the fighting duo had slipped back by more than four seconds after just three laps. Vasiliauskas, Hegewald and Vautier comfortably held fourth, fifth and sixth, as the battle raged on behind for the final points paying positions.

Aleshin held off Jousse while the Frenchman had his mirrors full of Eng and Armaan Ebrahim. Britons Tom Gladdis and Jason Moore were making their way through from the back and the duo both moved by Henri Karjalainen, as Ollie Hancock endured a wild spin at turn eight behind.

There was contact between Jack Clarke and Sebastian Hohenthal on the start/finish straight during lap seven as Clarke closed the door on the attacking Swede. Mirko Bortolotti’s chances of finishing in the championship’s top three ended when the Italian pulled off the circuit late on. Bortolotti experienced a difficult season finale weekend and never looked capable of scoring the points required to challenge his Red Bull colleagues. Hohenthal spun into the gravel and out of the race at turn three and Höing also retired late on.

Back at the front and Soucek had extended his lead to more than seven seconds as the crossed the line for the final time, ending a dominant race and a dominant season for the outstanding Spaniard.

De Marco held off Wickens to take second, as Wickens settled for third in the race and the runner-up spot overall. Vasiliauskas, Hegewald and the impressive Vautier rounded out the top six, ahead of Aleshin who clinched third in the championship race – becoming the first Russian to earn qualification for an FIA Superlicense.

Jousse scored the final championship point of the season ahead of Eng and Ebrahim. Jolyon Palmer and Alex Brundle completed a decent finish to their first season of international racing by finishing 11th and 12th respectively.

The race was a fitting end to a wonderful first season of the FIA Formula Two Championship. Preparations are well underway for the 2010 campaign with winter testing starting in Valencia in just over one month’s time, but for now it is Andy Soucek’s moment – seven time race winner and Formula Two champion.

"I don’t have many words honestly," said Soucek. "It has been amazing. I’m sure this victory is not only the work I did on the championship, I think it is also thanks to a couple of people that have really helped me throughout my career. I had everything I needed to win it, that’s true; nothing was missing. I think I did a good job but everybody surrounding me really pushed hard as well. I have to thank everybody.

"I’ve said already that Formula Two for me is the best championship I’ve ever been in in terms of organisation, and it’s only in the first year. I’m absolutely going to back the championship and be behind it because I really liked it and enjoyed the whole year. I have to congratulate Robert as well to be second because I think he deserved to challenge me for the championship.

"Now I can only say thank you to everybody – seven wins is huge, I think 11 podiums, I don’t know I lost count, and it’s the best result of my career and my life. Hopefully this gives me the chance to be in Formula One next year."

FIA Formula Two Championship – Race Two – Barcelona:

1. Andy Soucek, 20 laps
2. Nicola De Marco, +7.538s
3. Robert Wickens, +9.645s
4. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +10.197s
5. Tobias Hegewald, +14.652s
6. Tristan Vautier, +19.626s
7. Mikhail Aleshin, +21.529s
8. Julien Jousse, +21.892s
9. Philipp Eng, +24.201s
10. Armaan Ebrahim, +25.618s                               www.formulatwo.com

Soucek scores home win
Spaniard storms to victory at Circuit de Catalunya

Andy Soucek has taken his first Formula Two victory on home soil after the newly crowned champion put in a commanding drive during race one in Barcelona today (Saturday).

Mikhail Aleshin took second, ahead of a staggering performance from French debutant Tristan Vautier.

Pole-sitter Robert Wickens made a slow getaway, as Soucek blasted by on the run down to turn one. Aleshin had already taken second as Vautier attacked from behind. The 20-year-old jumped from fourth to third off the line before going side-by-side with Aleshin through turns one and two. Aleshin held on as the recovering Wickens began to put pressure on Vautier.

There was drama behind as Nicola De Marco ran across the grass while Jens Höing spun out of the race at turn two. Jolyon Palmer also had a brief moment after being pushed wide but the young Briton was able to continue at the back of the pack.

The race settled down at the head of the field while there was an intense battle going on amongst a number of British drivers. Jason Moore sneaked up the inside of Jack Clarke on lap four only for the pair to make contact on the exit of turn ten. Moore’s car briefly had two wheels off the ground but both were able to continue after losing positions to a gaggle of cars behind.

Tom Gladdis nipped by Alex Brundle on the same lap to take 14th, as Robert Wickens began to have problems up ahead. The Canadian’s Red Bull-backed car ground to a halt at the exit of turn 11 on lap five. It was a disappointing end to what had looked like a promising race for the talented front-runner.

Palmer was putting in a charge and the 18-year-old made his way by Clarke and Henri Karjalainen during an impressive recovery drive. There was also a good scrap for 11th as De Marco, Ebrahim and Gladdis fought for position. De Marco had already fallen out of the points following his dramatic start and the Italian was struggling to keep Ebrahim behind by the mid-distance stage.

Brundle ran wide, which allowed Sebastian Hohenthal and Palmer to get by but Hohenthal would later ruin his good work by crashing out of the race at the final chicane. Palmer went on to take a well earned 13th after fighting his way up ten places.

With two laps remaining, Soucek had extended his lead by more than four seconds as Aleshin settled for second. Vautier was coming under increasing pressure from his fellow countryman Julien Jousse but the younger of the two drivers was holding on.

Philipp Eng held off Mirko Bortolotti to take fifth, whilst Natacha Gachnang put in her best drive of the season to take seventh – the Swiss female improving upon her ninth place grid position to score her first points finish in Formula Two. Kazim Vasiliauskas took the final championship point, finishing just half a second behind Gachnang.

By the end of the race, Soucek crossed the line 4.389s ahead of Aleshin to take his sixth victory of the season. After intense pressure in the latter stages of the 20-lap race, Vautier held on to take a memorable maiden podium.

“It feels very, very special," said Soucek. "I’ve never had that feeling. Obviously when you win a race you are always happy and I am happier today than I was at Imola when I clinched the championship. I’m negotiating a seat next year in Formula 1, and I think everybody [in F1] is looking carefully at what I’m doing so I really had to perform well."

Tristan Vautier said: “This is my best ever result. I have taken wins in Formula Renault Eurocup and FPA but this is an FIA Championship and it is my first time in the car so for sure, this is the best result of my career so far.”

FIA Formula Two Championship – Race One – Barcelona:

1. Andy Soucek, 20 laps
2. Mikhail Aleshin, +4.389s
3. Tristan Vautier, +7.645s
4. Julien Jousse, +7.980s
5. Philipp Eng, +13.329s
6. Mirko Bortolotti, +13.825s
7. Natacha Gachnang, +16.977s
8. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +17.476s
9. Tobias Hegewald, +19.251s
10. Miloš Pavlović, +24.503s                                www.formulatwo.com

Wickens doubles up in Barcelona
Canadian takes fifth pole of season ahead of Soucek and Eng

Robert Wickens clinched his fifth pole of the year in Barcelona, setting a benchmark time of 1:38.096s in the final few minutes of the session.

He will again be joined on the front row by Andy Soucek, who held top spot until Wickens‘ late effort. Philipp Eng and Nicola De Marco will start from the second row after impressive late runs.

A brief shower in the morning meant the track continued to dry and improve as the session wore on. Mikhail Aleshin made the most of the early conditions, dominating the opening ten minutes and bettering his own provisional pole time on three occasions.

Tobias Hegewald, Robert Wickens and Philipp Eng remained in close proximity to Aleshin, whilst De Marco and Jack Clarke both recovered from spins during an early flying lap.

Almost every car pitted for new tyres with a little over ten minutes remaining and the session would develop into a dramatic final dash for pole. Aleshin was the first to complete a flying lap on fresh rubber and the 22-year-old immediately improved to set a 1:38.470s lap time – the quickest of the weekend so far. The decision to come out early seemed to have cost Aleshin, however, as Soucek bettered the Red Bull-backed driver just a few moments later.

De Marco, Hegewald and Kazim Vasiliauskas all improved after changing tyres, the trio moving into fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. Wickens was the last man to bolt on new tyres and make a final attempt for pole, and the Canadian timed it perfectly to set a phenomenal time of 1:38.096s and clinch his fifth pole of the season.

Several drivers made another attempt on their second lap but none of the notable front-runners improved, as Soucek and Eng held on to take second and third.

Aleshin had been bumped down to seventh at the finish, ahead of further impressive runs from debutant Tristan Vautier and Indian pilot Armaan Ebrahim.

Julien Jousse rounded out the top ten, whilst Jason Moore and Jolyon Palmer again showed well, taking 11^th and 12^th respectively.

"I am delighted," said Wickens. "It goes to show that the championship wasn’t lost through my lack of speed. Since Donington Park the championship has been out of reach and since then I have just been trying to maintain second. It’s good coming into the weekend with a nine point advantage and a win this afternoon will clinch it for me. I went for an aggressive strategy in qualifying and took my third pole position in a row, which is pretty good!"

Andy Soucek said: "It reminds me a lot of Valencia when Robert took two pole positions and I couldn’t get him. This time it is a lot closer however, I have much better pace and I’m sure I can challenge for the win."

Philipp Eng said: “It was quite a crazy session actually. I had a lot of traffic on my second lap which would have been even quicker, but to finish just behind Robert and Andy is a good result."

FIA Formula Two Championship – Qualifying Two – Barcelona:

1. Robert Wickens, 1:38.096s
2. Andy Soucek, +0.067s
3. Philipp Eng, +0.105s
4. Nicola De Marco, +0.223s
5. Tobias Hegewald, +0.247s
6. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +0.318s
7. Mikhail Aleshin, +0.374s
8. Tristan Vautier, +0.392s
9. Armaan Ebrahim, +0.430s
10. Julien Jousse, +0.511s                                       www.formulatwo.com

Wickens takes fourth pole of season
Canadian grabs top spot from Soucek in Barcelona

Robert Wickens clinched his fourth pole of the season in the first qualifying session at Barcelona, edging out Andy Soucek by just over two tenths of a second.

Nicola De Marco continued his impressive start to the weekend by taking third, and will be joined on the second row by Russia’s Mikhail Aleshin.

Soucek led the way in the early stages, ahead of another eye-catching display from Tristan Vautier. The Frenchman was again immediately on the pace as both he and Soucek set their best times in the opening moments of the session.

With the circuit getting continually faster as the session progressed, Wickens took full advantage to set a 1:39.215s time and claim the top spot as the session moved into the final ten minutes. Philipp Eng followed suit, setting the fourth fastest time, only to be instantly bettered by Julien Jousse.

Wickens improved again on his penultimate lap while Soucek and Aleshin seemed to be scrapping for the same space on the circuit. Aleshin was able to improve to take fourth, but Soucek blamed the Russian for spoiling his final few laps. In the meantime, De Marco had sneaked through to take third – his first top three qualifying position since taking pole position in Brno.

Vautier was unable to improve and had to settle for fifth at the finish – a fantastic result in his maiden F2 qualifying session. Interestingly, the 20-year-old’s best three sectors were actually the second fastest behind Wickens. Unfortunately he was unable to complete the perfect three sectors on the same lap but his pace continues to impress.

Jousse and Eng dropped to sixth and seventh late on while Mirko Bortolotti rounded out the top eight. In another extremely close F2 qualifying session, just one tenth of a second separated third to seventh on the grid.

Natacha Gachnang equalled her best qualifying result of the season as she outpaced Kazim Vasiliauskas to take ninth place away from the Lithuanian racer.

Wickens was congratulated during the F2 press conference after the Canadian secured his fourth pole position of the season – the best results of any driver this season.

"From my side the qualifying was pretty interesting," Wickens admitted. "My second best lap was actually on old tyres – all things considered I only went two tenths faster on new tyres, which was probably due to the yellow flags. I’m very happy – the goal here is to beat Aleshin and Bortolotti, and starting on pole position gives me the best opportunity to do that. Obviously I want to do it in race one to get rid of the pressure in race two. The Superlicence is very key to my future and I think starting from pole gives me the best opportunity to get it."

Second place Andy Soucek said: "I don’t know why but I had the feeling before the session that we would not have the perfect strategy. I think I waited a bit too long to go onto new tyres, and then someone spun with four minutes to go and I knew I wouldn’t be able to improve. I’m really looking forward to winning another race; I want to score as many victories as possible, but my pace is very similar to Robert’s so it will all be about the start."

De Marco was delighted with his return to a top three press conference, and the Italian clearly enjoys driving at the Circuit de Catalunya: "I am happy with this qualifying because it is important for me in this last part of the season to get a good result," concluded Nicola. "It’s really fun to drive here in Formula Two, it’s beautiful and I like the circuit very much."

FIA Formula Two Championship – First Qualifying – Barcelona:

1. Robert Wickens, 1:39.020s
2. Andy Soucek, +0.248s
3. Nicola De Marco, +0.396s
4. Mikhail Aleshin, +0.406s
5. Tristan Vautier, +0.426s
6. Julien Jousse, +0.482s
7. Philipp Eng, +0.491s
8. Mirko Bortolotti, +0.634s
9. Natacha Gachnang, +0.640s
10. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +0.687s                            www.formulatwo.com

Wickens heads free practice one in Barcelona
Canadian sets the pace ahead of Soucek and De Marco

Robert Wickens set the fastest lap in the opening free practice session in Barcelona today (Thursday) after seeing off the threat from F2 champion Andy Soucek.

Wickens and Soucek were the class of the field throughout the 30-minute session as the front running duo were the only drivers to dip under the 1:40s mark. Wickens led the way in the early stages before Soucek set a 1:39.568s lap time. His Canadian rival responded with nine minutes of the session remaining, bettering Soucek by just 0.056s.

Having won both races at the season opener in Valencia, Wickens is absolutely focussed on what he calls the ‚Spanish sweep‘, as he looks for a repeat performance at the Circuit de Catalunya this weekend.

Nicola De Marco made an impressive return to form as the Italian completed the top three positions. After a difficult weekend at his home round in Imola, De Marco will be hoping to end his season on a high as he looks to secure a top ten finish in the overall standings.

Frenchman Julien Jousse was less than a tenth of a second behind De Marco in fourth while Philipp Eng was just 0.062s further back in fifth. Kazim Vasiliauskas, Mikhail Aleshin and Miloš Pavlović held sixth, seventh and eighth respectively. All three drivers are still in the fight for second and third in the championship, and the trio will be reasonably satisfied with their steady showing this afternoon.

Jason Moore and Tristan Vautier both ran well in the official F2 test on Monday and the pair continue to impress in Barcelona – Moore taking ninth in today’s session, with Tristan Vautier rounding out the top ten.

There was an early red flag in the session when Natacha Gachnang stopped out on track. Ollie Hancock, Vasiliauskas and Vautier all recovered from brief spins after the session had restarted.

Carlos Iaconelli is unfortunately unable to race this weekend as the young Brazilian is suffering with flu. The remaining 24 drivers will be back on track at 09:40 for the final free practice session, before the first qualifying session takes place at 14:05.

Robert Wickens said: "The week started pretty well during the test on Monday and I have continued with that today. I am still not completely comfortable with the car and I am sure there is more pace to find. It would be nice to win again in Spain and if I could score a pole position then I would more than any other driver. It is nice to show everyone my pace and I am really looking forward to the weekend."

Nicola De Marco said: "The test day did not go so well but I am pleased to be back in the top three. I have been here before with Spanish F3, but it is very fast and lots of fun in an F2 car. I just hope I can go well in qualifying tomorrow."

FIA Formula Two Championship – Free Practice one – Barcelona:

1. Robert Wickens, 1:39.568s
2. Andy Soucek, +0.056s
3. Nicola De Marco, +0.676s
4. Julien Jousse, +0749s
5. Philipp Eng, +0.811s
6. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +0.956s
7. Mikhail Aleshin, +1.168s
8. Milos Pavlovic, +1.203s
9. Jason Moore, +1.211s
10. Tristan Vautier, +1.236s

The final round of the 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship will take place at the Circuit de Catalunya, home of the Spanish Grand Prix, this weekend (29 October – 1 November). Both races will be screened live on Eurosport and at the official website www.formulatwo.com, with live timing and text commentary available for all practice sessions, qualifying sessions and races.

www.formulatwo.com

Soucek tops Barcelona test day
Champion fastest at home circuit ahead of Pavlović and Wickens

Andy Soucek finished the official Formula Two test day at the top of the timesheets today (Monday 26 October) having set a blistering 1:38.910s lap time at the Circuit de Catalunya.

The Spaniard ran in the top five for most of the day but he left it until the final ten minutes of the final session to set his unbeatable benchmark time. The champion’s effort relegated Miloš Pavlović down to second after the Serbian had held top spot for much of the final hour.

Robert Wickens attacked Soucek’s time in the final moments and set his fastest lap of the day on his final tour of the 2.9 mile Grand Prix circuit. The Canadian fell short of the ultimate pace but he set an impressive time on his seventh lap on new tyres, which left him third overall.

Julien Jousse ended up fourth having set the pace during the morning sessions, whilst Mikhail Aleshin improved late on to take fifth. The Russian recovered well following two spins earlier in the day and his effort was good enough to relegate Philipp Eng down to sixth.

Debutant Tristan Vautier remained the star of the show however, as the young Frenchman finished every session inside the top ten. The 20-year-old, who has won six Formula Palmer Audi races this year, settled for an impressive seventh at the end of the day. Kazim Vasiliauskas and Mirko Bortolotti were eighth and ninth, while Jason Moore rounded out the top ten after a productive day of set-up work for the Briton.

Nicola De Marco was just outside the top ten and double race winner Tobias Hegewald had to settle for 12th. Jolyon Palmer moved up the order late on to claim 13th ahead of Sebastian Hohenthal.

Andy Soucek said: "I knew we had good pace but I wasn’t expecting to be that fast. I am still really fired up for this weekend – people are maybe expecting me to just relax and take it easy but I want to win both races for the first time. There is a lot of work to do, but I am fully focussed on taking each session as it comes later in the week."

Robert Wickens said: "I have had a really good day. We have accomplished everything and more in terms of our test programme and I am feeling really confident for the weekend. My best lap was set on the seventh lap with those tyres and I didn’t use the boost so things are looking good for the weekend."

FIA Formula Two Championship – Test Day, Barcelona – Final Session:

1. Andy Soucek, 1:38.910s
2. Miloš Pavlović, +0.304s
3. Robert Wickens, +0.337s
4. Julien Jousse, +0.399s
5. Mikhail Aleshin, +0.440s
6. Philipp Eng, +0.565s
7. Tristan Vautier, +0.584s
8. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +0.698s
9. Mirko Bortolotti, +0.743s
10. Jason Moore, +1.036s
The final round of the 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship will take place at the Circuit de Catalunya, home of the Spanish Grand Prix, this weekend (29 October – 1 November). Both races will be screened live on Eurosport and at the official website www.formulatwo.com, with live timing and text commentary available for all practice sessions, qualifying sessions and races.

www.formulatwo.com