Tales on the Tarmac: British GP F2 Preview

The historic Silverstone circuit is the next to welcome F2 on its world tour. It has a great deal of history and drama etched into the tarmac of its fast-flowing track. 

Silverstone is 3.661 miles in length and has 18 corners ranging from fast-flowing sweepers to complex chicanes, making it a real test for both the drivers and cars to find the limit of adhesion. 

(Image Credits to FIA Formula 2 Website)

Favourites

• Richard Verschoor - I believe that after Verschoor regained his form in Austria, putting him firmly in the lead of the title race after his Feature race win, it would be foolish for him not to be a top pick. The only caveat to this narrative is that the Dutchman’s usual Silverstone form isn’t too strong, having finished a highest position of tenth in the last 3 years. I’m sure he will know this and be building on that prior to and during this weekend.

• Arvid Lindblad - Lindblad’s form has been hot and cold recently, with his last outing at the Red Bull Ring being a dip in his normal high standards and resulting in no championship points. Although this race is a home race for the Brit, he will begin it with a Formula 1 Free Practice Session (after completing F2 practice). Regardless of most F2 drivers often struggling with the switch from F1 machinery back to qualifying in F2 machinery, I still feel he should excel this weekend and will rise to the pressure. Lindblad's team, Campos racing, is familiar with success at this track, having taken the 2024 F2 Vice champion, Isack Hadjar, to the top step of the podium in the Feature race as well as a double race win for Lindblad in F3. Perhaps they will repeat this success with Lindblad and strong-looking Tsolov in F3. 

• Luke Browning - Browning’s ability to consistently score points can never rule him out of a victory contender and I feel this could materialise at Silverstone this Weekend. It's both his and Hitech’s home race and Browning, I feel, is due a good result in the higher echelons of the top 10. With the help of the right car set up - which has been lacking recently for the team - and a strong strategy, Browning’s confidence will be able to rise, which is a critical component around this daring racetrack.

Ones to Watch 

• Alex Dunne - Once again, I believe Alex will be a favourite this week, but I don’t think he’ll be at the top of the pack due to his own personal past performance at this track as well as Rodin’s. Regardless, with the right drivers, Rodin has managed a few podiums at Silverstone, so with Dunne’s talent and a strong package, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him winning come Sunday.

• Leonardo Fornaroli - The Italian’s quest for a single-seater win continues this weekend at the British GP after failing to convert his pole position last week into a win. Fornaroli has consistently been in the top 5, but with 28 points to make up in the Championship fight, a win couldn't come at a better time to release the pressure and reinvigorate his title challenge.

• Victor Martins - A challenger this season, yet still hasn't got the results he deserves. With his strong F2 past here at Silverstone, including a feature race win in 2023, Martins will be looking for a repeat of this and with ART’s solid record around Silverstone, Martins should be right up at the sharp end of the grid.

Track Analysis

(Image Credits to Formula 1 Website)

As you can see, this track is one of the most demanding on the F2 calendar for both the machinery and drivers, with a high average speed and top speed of 208 MPH. Tyre wear here will be even more of a factor than at Spielberg and drivers will have to have phases of tyre management in order to get through the Feature Race if choosing to do a one-stop strategy. As a result of the tyre compounds chosen this weekend, strategy will also be an extra element at play across the entire grid.

(Image Credits to the FIA Formula 2 Website)

The chosen tyres are the C2 and the C4’s. These tyres, both with varying tyre life, grip and performance, could see reverse strategy come more into play this weekend. Another factor to look out for is the adverse weather conditions. In the case of rain, being able to adapt to wet or mixed conditions will be crucial for these drivers. This is why having a solid base setup this weekend will be important, making the single practice session very valuable.

There is no doubt that this weekend is set up to be a Formula 2 classic and there aren't many better spectacles in racing than watching these F2 cars at their limit pounding around this special tarmac that we call the ‘Home of Racing’. 

If you want to tune in to the action, here are the times:

F2 Schedule

FP Session - 10 AM Friday

Qualifying -  2.55 PM Friday

Sprint Race - 1.15 PM Saturday

Feature Race - 11.05 AM Sunday

(All times are in BST)

The crowds awakened Silverstone's historic theatre of racing, where iconic moments are forged and where drivers aim to paint their own names in racing folklore.

Which F2 driver will rise to the occasion and write the next chapter of Silverstone's magic?

Are you ready for the weekend ahead?

Article written by Taegan Hignett.