Formula 2 World Championship Heads to Red Bull Ring for its seventh round in Spielberg

This weekend, from June 28 to 30, the Red Bull Ring circuit in Spielberg, Austria, will host the seventh round of the Formula 2 World Championship. This event will also mark the end of the first phase of the Championship and will be crucial for the ambitions of Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto, a development driver for the McLaren F1 team.

This will be the second of three consecutive weekends of competition. The first one, held in Spain, did not go as expected for Bortoleto. Despite a good qualifying session, securing fourth place just 55 milliseconds behind the pole position, the #10 car of Invicta Racing suffered excessive tire wear in the races. As a result, Gabriel, who was in podium positions in both races, lost several positions in the final laps, finishing fifth in the Sprint Race and only tenth in the Feature Race.

These results, far below expectations, led to a weekend that should have been very productive in terms of the Championship standings ending with Gabriel dropping two positions in the table. Currently, the driver from São Paulo is in seventh place with 55 points.

TURNING THE PAGE

After three days of extensive data analysis and preparation for the challenges in Austria, Bortoleto believes he is ready to fight for the top positions again. Together with his team of engineers, the Brazilian has determined what could have been more effective last weekend and remains confident for this new challenge.

The Red Bull Ring circuit, one of the fastest of the season, is the type of track all drivers love. It is 4.318 meters long, featuring 10 corners and three long straight sections with DRS activation zones. Additionally, the end of these straights includes strong braking points ideal for overtaking. The Sprint Race, held on Saturday, will last 28 laps, and the Feature Race on Sunday will last 40 laps. The official lap record, set by Charles Leclerc in 2017, is 1m13.396s. Pirelli, the tire supplier for the category, has selected its softest tire range for this weekend due to the low abrasion of the asphalt.

“There’s no other way to describe it than disappointing after last weekend. However, we have turned the page, and I am 100% ready for this new challenge. The track layout is fantastic, with an average lap speed of over 210 km/h, and I have had very productive simulator tests in the past few days. I am confident in fighting for the top positions again, and I am sure that with the support of my team and the strong support from Brazilian fans, we will have a weekend of consistent results,” said the driver sponsored by McLaren, Banco BRB, Porto, Ebury, Snapdragon Brasil, and Barthelemy.

Check the official schedule for the weekend (Brasília Time)

Friday (June 28)
05:05 – 05:50 – Free Practice
09:55 – 10:30 – Qualifying

Saturday (June 29)
08:30 – 09:15 – Sprint Race

Sunday (June 30)
05:00 – 06:00 – Feature Race

All track activities will be broadcasted live on the BandSports subscription channel, as well as on its website and the BandPlay App.

Pictures: James Gasperotti

Press office of Gabriel Bortoleto’s

Responsible journalist: Flávio Quick