Liam Lawson heads to the latest FIA Formula 2 Championship round in Budapest, Hungary, coming off the back of a stronger showing in France, last weekend. His second win in the Sprint Race and finishing in the points (6th) in the Feature, has moved the Kiwi driver up from tenth to fifth overall on the points table.
“Very much looking forward to the Hungaroring,” commented Lawson. “Haven’t been for a couple of years but it’s definitely a circuit I enjoy driving. We need to make that step up in Qualifying because it is so important, so hard to overtake in the race.”
Heading into the tenth round before F2 breaks up for the summer, Felipe Drugovich retains his advantage in the Championship over Théo Pourchaire. The French driver leapt back ahead of Logan Sargeant in the Drivers’ Championship, but both will need to maximise results between now and Abu Dhabi to close down the 39-point lead the MP Motorsport driver currently holds.
“The key to the weekend is qualifying and the key to qualifying is commitment on that lap,” said Lawson. “It’s an older style track with not much run off in places. Turn 1 is the main overtaking spot, that’s clear, not many other opportunities.”
Rain is expected to fall at some stage over the Budapest weekend. Forecasts indicate that Friday Qualifying could be happening on a wet circuit while Saturday’s Sprint Race may well take place following thunderstorms if the radars prove accurate.
In the Teams’ Standings, ART Grand Prix’s double podium in the Feature Race at Le Castellet lifted it to the top of the table on 209 points. Behind the French outfit, it’s a close fight between MP Motorsport and Carlin, currently on 199 and 197 points respectively in second and third positions.
“Obviously we had a good weekend in Paul Ricard and I’m looking forward to carry forward that momentum and score big points in Hungary.”
Qualifying and Race times (NZ time)
Qualifying: Saturday 4.30am
Sprint Race: Sunday 3.55am
Feature Race: Sunday 9.35pm
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