The Styria Showdown: F2 Preview at Austria

The Red Bull Ring welcomes F2 this weekend as a feeder series alongside the main F1 event as the championship storyline intensifies the further we get in the F2 Campaign. Which drivers have the edge heading into the hills of Styria?

(Image Credits to Lukas Raich)

Favourites

• Arvid Lindblad - One of the most in-form drivers in F2 right now, the Brit is on a charge up the standings and towards a possible Future F1 seat. He did take his time to get comfortable in the F2 championship, having stepped up from F3, but has hit the ground running as of late. This was especially proven in his incredible Spanish Feature Race victory last time out. He is likely to continue this form in Austria making him one of my top picks for a race victory.

• Alex Dunne - A driver who in raw pace is one of, if not the fastest driver on the grid despite some unpolished edges which have cost him both results and reputation throughout the season. Nevertheless, he will likely be fast again in Austria and his sheer qualifying and race pace might be too much for his competitors

• Luke Browning - A driver consistent as ever who backs this up with his pace enabling him to often rack up points in both races across the F2 weekend. Throughout the seasons, Browning has had moments where he struggles to handle his Hitech F2 car but despite this, he has used his experience in single-seaters to push through. This determination and his F3 Feature Race win at the Red Bull Ring last year make him a firm favourite contender for victory.

• Leonardo Fornaroli - A driver who is one of the most consistent junior drivers in current single-seat championships. A wise man once said, “A championship is built upon consistency,” and this driver knows how to actually turn this into reality. Results of late have not been optimal but he his always on the hunt, in the top pack and that will be no different here in Austria.

• Jak Crawford - One of the most in-form drivers in recent rounds as Dams Lucas Oil have found their way and have been able to give both Jak and Kush Maini a car to battle at the front of the F2 championship. Crawford, if all things go well, should perform well again at this old school racing circuit, having won in Monaco a few rounds ago and driving the competitive Dams car, making a feisty duo likely to taste champagne at this track just as Jak did in 2023.

All of these Drivers have a strong bid to take a victory in the Styrian hills this weekend so it will be an enthralling encounter to find out the outcome.

Ones to Watch

• Dino Beganovic - A driver plagued by bad luck, he will be hoping for a successful weekend at the Red Bull Ring and there's good hope for him as well. His past results here in F3 include two top 5 finishes and a podium, so can the Hitech driver rekindle his form?

• Sebastián Montoya - An unexpected yet welcome run of recent results by Sebastián includes two podiums, which have vaulted him up the standings into a top 10 spot in the Drivers Championship. You can expect it to be a decent possibility that he will continue this form in Austria this weekend.

• Gabrielle Minì- A driver who has immense talent but a mixture of Prema's F2 struggles this year and Mini unable to be dialled into his machinery the way he wants has meant results have been hard to come by but can this weekend revitalise his confidence?

• Richard Verschoor - A driver who came storming out of the box in the early stages of this season but the last couple of rounds has been slightly on the back foot. Although you cannot rule him out as he aims to put two feet forward in the title battle.

• Victor Martins - A driver whose bad luck is truly criminal with barely anything having gone right for the Frenchman. His sheer speed and talent mean that even with a short track length this weekend, it is definitely possible for him to make the difference and finally stand on the top step once more 

Track Analysis: The Red Bull Ring

The track of the Red Bull Ring is a 2.683-mile circuit with 10 corners, 3 DRS Zones and plenty of overtaking opportunities. This circuit is known for its various elevation changes, being elevated in turns 1-3 and dropping down at turn 4. It has a significantly smaller lap time than most other circuits, sitting at around 65-second lap times in F2 machinery during qualifying sessions. This means that any mistakes in Quali will be critical in making the difference between the front few rows and midpack. Another critical conundrum the F2 drivers will have to deal with is track limits as at this particular circuit, track limits have been known to catch out many drivers, even ruining some of their entire weekends. These drivers will have to balance ambition with adhesion in order to maximise their lap times without overstepping the limit. Setups will also be a crucial talking point over the weekend, especially the details of fine-tuning and whether a low or high downforce package is best due to fast sector 1 and flowing sector 2. The best compromise made will be critical to have a car that is kind on its tyres which will be beneficial in race trim where often in DRS trains these F2 drivers need their tyres in the best window for performance in the pass or be passed philosophy of an F2 race especially in the old school race track of Spielberg due to the layout.

There is no doubt that this will be a cracking F2 weekend, made up of plenty of action and it will be a spectacle to watch for sure. If you want to tune in here is the F2 Schedule for this weekend in the BST timezone.

Free Practice: 10:05 AM Friday  

Qualifying: 2:55 PM Friday 

Sprint Race: 1:15 PM Saturday 

Feature Race: 9:00 AM Sunday

The Austrian Hills stay still until racing roars through their mountains.

Are you ready for this weekend?

Article Written by Taegan Hignett