Spectacular Spa: F2 Belgium Preview

This article will preview this weekend's racing action at Spa-Francorchamps including key storylines and drivers to look out for. 

(Image credit to Redbull)

Setting the Scene

As we head into Round 8 of the season and over halfway through the season, the championship picture has taken clear shape with ultimately two drivers rising to the occasion. Nikola Tsolov has become a textbook driver in the feature races, having taken the last two and four in the last seven which is impeccable form. The momentum is clearly on his side. Meanwhile, Gabriele Mini has been able to hang on to the back of Tsolov in the championship fight being only a mere seventeen points behind with plenty of rounds left to overturn this deficit. Mini's absolute surgical-like consistency this season finishing outside the top ten only once in fourteen races is admirable. Behind the front two drivers however, there are close battles for position three and five in the championship to keep an eye on. 

(Image credit to Motorsport.com)

Championship Standings

1. Nikola Tsolov 141 Pts

2. Gabriele Mini 124 Pts

3. Rafael Camara 94 Pts

4. Alex Dunne 92 Pts

5. Noel Leon 69 Pts

6. Kush Maini 63 Pts

7. Dino Beganovic 57 Pts

8. Martinius Stenshorne 48 Pts

9. Laurens Van Hoepen 47 Pts

10. Rafael Villagomez 30 Pts

(Image credit to Red Bull Photo Pool)

Track Analysis 

(Image credit to Formula 1)

The Spa Francorchamps circuit in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium is known to be one of the fastest and highly exhilarating tracks on the calendar. It is a fan favourite and a driver's favourite each year and we hope for some more entertaining action this time round. It is a 4.352 mile track with 19 turns and a mixture of slow hairpins,medium speed sweepers and fast speed turns making this a track where the cars suffer a lot as they are always on the edge of grip. This allows, however, as a driver's track it rewards bravery and skill behind the wheel of their Formula 2 machinery. Tyres often suffer a lot of tyre wear around this track which the drivers who manage that best will come out with the best results. Although, with the interesting weather patterns of Spa, we could get some wet weather this weekend which would just add another element to the weekend. 

Drivers To Watch 

• Nikola Tsolov - A clear standout to watch this weekend and wouldn’t be a surprise if this driver goes on to complete a hat-trick of feature race wins. His really strong outright pace and good overtaking will go far at Spa This probably will be his hardest weekend however to win due to the very unpredictable nature of this race weekend. However, a strong qualifying will set Tsolov up to have a strong result this weekend to maintain his margin in the championship fight. 

• Gabriele Mini - A driver who has a good record prior at Spa and will be looking to replicate that to be able to beat his championship and take points of his championship lead. His ability to be able to stay out of trouble and be consistent will be key factors at a usually chaotic weekend of racing action. A podium at last year’s Formula 2 at this circuit in an underwhelming season for Mini gives good reading for Mini and you may wonder surely he could go better this season but only time will tell.  

• Rafa Camara - A driver who has had a good rookie season so far but also with clear things to improve on if he is to try to overhaul the large gap currently to Nikola Tsolov in the championship picture. With Invicta Racing taking the feature race win here at Spa last season, this form here along with Camara’s strong qualifying and race pace should bode well for his prospects this weekend. 

•  Oliver Goethe - A bit of an outsider pick but a driver that has shown flashes of his brilliance but has been undermined by a lot of negative results sitting outside of the top 10 in the championship currently. However, I feel a possible good result coming his way this weekend. MP Motorsport’s has good form around this track from last year which included Goethe finishing in a strong Position 4 in the feature race. Goethe has also been showing flashes of a resurgence as of late with his podium result at the Red Bull Ring which warrants him to enter the conversation for at least a top 5 result at this event. 

• Kush Maini - This driver has shown a sharp upturn of form this season and has seemed to find the right team in ART for him to flourish. Having picked up a win and further podium this year in a run of results in which he hasn’t finished outside the top 10 barely since the Montreal sprint race, means that another good result can be on the cards this weekend if he qualifies well. ART also has a decent record around Spa with quite a few podiums in recent years. 

Weekend Timings

Free Practice - 10:05 BST AM Friday

Qualifying - 15:00 BST PM Friday 

Sprint Race - 13:15 PM BST Saturday

Feature Race - 9:00 AM BST Sunday 

The racing action this weekend should be nothing short of incredible and live up to the expectations of this incredible historic race track. The cars will be roaring through the Ardennes Forest and who will soar themselves all the way to the victory here at Spa Francorchamps?

Article written by Taegan H