Goethe remains at the top on second day of F2 post-season testing

Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd

MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe was fastest for the second day in a row in Formula 2 post-season testing at Yas Marina Circuit.

All but Invicta Racing’s drivers set their fastest laps of Thursday in the morning, and running was initially completed on medium compound tyres.

Van Amersfoort Racing’s Rafael Villagomez was first to the top, then Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov edged agead. Goethe traded fastest laps with ART Grand Prix’s Kush Maini in the first 12 minutes, before Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Dunne and then MP’s Gabriele Mini moved to the top.

Dunne ended his medium tyre run with a 1m38.756s which made him fastest by 0.123s.

Drivers headed out on supersoft tyres half an hour in, and Tsolov lowered the pace to 1m37.969s. Soon after a 1m37.390s put Goethe ahead by 0.281s, but Mini slashed the gap to 0.035s. Once he was on the supersofts, Dunne nipped ahead by 0.072s.

Prema’s Mari Boya triggered a red flag period by stopping on track, and 55 minutes in Goethe posted a 1m37.049s that went unbeaten. Some drivers did set personal bests in the next two hours.

Rodin’s Martinius Stenshorne was quickest early in the afternoon session, before Dunne moved ahead with a 1m39.723s set 25 minutes in.

That was the time to beat for 13 minutes before Invicta’s Joshua Duerksen pipped him by 0.008s. At that point five drivers had still set no laps, instead focusing on practice starts.

Dunne lowered the pace to 1m39.435s at the 45-minute mark, but had exceeded track limits at turn 16, and later he set a 1m39.359s that did count.

Prema waited until hour two before telling its drivers to run at a representative pace, but Boya and team-mate Sebastian Montoya were the most frequent improvers on a quiet track during that hour while others did race simulations.

As the second half of the three-hour session began, Stenshorne set a 1m38.627s benchmark then pitted. Duerksen lowered the pace 13 minutes later, going quickest in all three sectors with a 1m38.195s. Two laps later he improved by 0.004s to sit 0.437s clear at the top.

He went fastest in every sector again with 52 minutes to go, making a big gain to 1m37.742s that would put him eighth overall for the day.

The track became busier in the final hour but few improved. Invicta’s Rafael Camara was an exception, jumping from 17th to fourth 30 minutes from the end but being two seconds off Duerksen’s pace. He bettered Dunne with his next flying lap, but was 1.299s slower than Duerksen, then on the attempt after that he improved to be 1.115s off.

With five minutes left he unlocked more pace, setting a 1m37.646s to be quickest by 0.096s and seventh in the day’s combined classification.

Eight drivers met the chequered flag, with Prema’s pair in the pits after continuing to improve in hour three and rise to fifth and seventh in the session. They sandwiched AIX Racing’s Cian Shields, who snatched sixth in the final 10 minutes.

Day 2 results