F2 & F3 Hungarian GP, Race Preview
Just one week after the second round of Styria, the FIA Formula 2 championship will be on the Hungaroring track again next weekend. Roy Nissany and Marino Sato aim to realize the expressed potential proved in the first two races of the season.
The 2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship season continues on a quick pace this weekend as the series will be back on-track at Hungaroring. The circuit, located in the outskirts of Budapest, is a traditional destination for the championship and will round out a three-round spell in three consecutive weekends.
In the first two rounds of the season, the Team Trident stalwarts in F2, Roy Nissany and Marino Sato, showed very solid potential. The Tel Aviv-born driver, who scored his first point of the season in his debut race, posted the fastest lap in both the Feature Race and the Sprint Race of round 2 in Styria to confirm his convincing pace. Satobarely missed the top ten in qualifying, in line with his increasingly competitive performance levels which make the team confident ahead of the upcoming outings. The drivers and their respective technical staff prepared for the coming round of the series with the utmost concentration. At the Hungarian track, it will be essential to be at the right pace from qualifying. The nature of the layout, slow and narrow, offers little chances to overtake.
Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager:
“Our drivers performed on promising levels in the first two rounds of the season. Last weekend, Nissany scored the fastest lap twice as a testimony to his solid potential. Marino Sato, who was eleventh in qualifying, showed increasing performance. The team is working well. We are confident ahead of the next round. The drivers have prepared together with their technical staff with the utmost focus".
In the third round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship, to be held at the up-and-down Hungaroring circuit, the drivers of Team Trident will aim for their first win of the season. Being on top since qualifying will be key as the Hungarian venue doesn’t offer many chances for overtaking.
The second round of the season held last weekend at Red Bull Ring once again confirmed the great form of the Team Trident stable in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. The series, closely followed by the F1 insiders, has been more competitive than ever in the early part of 2020.
The cars fielded by Team Trident delivered three podiums including a second place and two third place. The excellent results are motivating the team to aim even higher, at the first win of the season, in the coming round at Hungaroring. The track, located close to Budapest, will welcome the series for the third consecutive event in as many weeks. David Beckmann, who finished third twice at Spielberg, is holding fourth place in standings, two positions ahead of Lirim Zendeli. The latter scored second place in race 1 last weekend in wet conditions. Olli Caldwell highlighted an equally impressive performance. The British driver, at his first season in the championship alongside the German pairing, is proving fast and consistent. In the last couple of races at Red Bull Ring, he scored a fifth and a sixth place, proving how much he belongs to the leading pack of drivers. The Hungaroring round will wrap-up a challenging triple opening stint for the championship. The drivers and the team’s technical staff faced the needed preparations with great motivation and now eagerly await the verdict.
Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager:
"We are satisfied with the outcome of the first two championship rounds. The drivers performed on very convincing levels, and the team is holding second place in its respective ranking. It will be essential to keep concentration high like never before in order to keep our positive trend. We will need the maximum effort to stay competitive on a very demanding track, on which qualifying will play a pivotal role".
The FIA Formula 2 Championship will be starting on Friday at 12:55 pm with the first free practice session. Qualifying will also happen on Friday at 17.00. The Feature Race will start on Saturday at 16.45, while the Sprint Race is set for Sunday at 11.10. The FIA Formula 3 Championship will get into action Friday at 9:35 am for the free practice session. Qualifying will be later the same day at 14:05. Race 1 is scheduled at 10:25 while Race 2 will be Sunday at 9:45. As usual, all the activity will be covered live by the Sky Sports F1 network.