Races in Barcelona kick off a sequence of three consecutive race weekends

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, located on the outskirts of Barcelona, Spain, will host the sixth round of the FIA Formula 2 Championship this weekend (June 21-23). This competition, the final step before a driver reaches Formula 1, features 22 competitors this season who are vying for their final preparation across 14 rounds to reach the pinnacle of motorsport.

Gabriel Bortoleto, a driver in the McLaren F1 team’s development program and the 2023 FIA Formula 3 World Champion, is very excited for the upcoming races. Currently enjoying a special moment in the Championship, where he climbed seven positions after the fourth and fifth rounds, the young São Paulo native is now fifth in the standings with 50 points.

After the Monaco weekend, where Bortoleto finished second in the Sprint Race, he dedicated himself to intense physical preparation and training in the most modern simulators available to him. Whether at McLaren headquarters, with Invicta Racing, or at home, Gabriel reports training an average of 8 hours a day on the simulator. In addition, his physical training regimen includes two daily sessions, one focused on muscle development and the other on cardiovascular conditioning.

Faced with a calendar featuring 28 races across 14 different circuits, drivers and teams must be highly focused and prepared for the challenges. An example of this will be seen in the next three weekends as Formula 2 visits Spain, Austria, and England in succession.

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, well-known to all drivers, hosted the three-day in-season test of the competition in April. During that test, Gabriel led one of the sessions and consistently ranked in the Top 5. The Spanish track spans 4.657 meters, featuring 14 turns and two long straights. The Sprint Race will consist of 26 laps on Saturday, while the Feature Race will have 37 laps on Sunday. The track record belongs to British driver Oliver Bearman, with a time of 1m23.546s, set last year with an average speed of an impressive 200.67 km/h.

The official weekend program starts this Friday with the only free practice session and qualifying. Saturday will feature the Sprint Race, and Sunday the Feature Race. All activities will be broadcasted live on the subscription channel Band Sports, as well as on the network’s website and the Band Play app.

Check out the official weekend schedule (Brasília Time):

Friday (June 21)
– 06:05h to 06:50h – Free Practice
– 10:55h to 11:30h – Qualifying

Saturday (June 22)
– 09:15h to 10:00h – Sprint Race

Sunday (June 23)
– 06:35h to 07:35h – Feature Race

Pictures: James Gasperotti

Press office of Gabriel Bortoleto
Responsible journalist: Flávio Quick