The FIA Formula 2 teams completed their first shakedown with the new 2024 car at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain on Wednesday.
One car from each team was permitted, with 20 drivers getting the chance to sample the new design, intended to come more in line with the current generation of Formula 1 cars.
The shakedown was set to assess the reliability of the new F2 package and the drivers at hand were able to put the machine through its paces, completing 649 laps and covering 3018km in the day’s running.
“The purpose of this shakedown was for the teams to understand how the new car operates, to make sure that all systems are working fine together and to understand how everything behaves. We are quite happy with the running achieved today,” said FIA Formula 2 Technical Director Pierre-Alain Michot.
“The teams have been able to complete a lot of mileage which is a good first step.
“The first milestone was reached with all the cars hitting the track this morning when the lights turned green.
“It was important to see them straight out of the box, it was quite an emotional moment.
“And the second positive step was having them all return to the pits without any issue.
“There have been no red flags, which means that all cars have performed as expected while the teams are learning how to work with this new machine.
“There are still a few little things to adjust ahead of the first official test session, but that’s normal. With eleven teams, there are eleven different ways of working.
“This enables us to learn even more about this car.
“We could already correct a few things for the afternoon session, but there are still some adjustments to make before the first race of the season, but we’re not far from what we need.
“Next step will be the three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain, with all 22 cars, before the opening race of 2024, and I cannot wait to be on the starting grid!”
The Dallara F2 2024 chassis is set to be raced through the 2026 season, adopting the series’ pre-covid three-year cycle strategy when it comes to car design.
To control costs, the turbo 3.4-litre Mechachrome engine from the previous generation has been retained, as has the pre-existing gearbox.
Instead, the revisions are visual ones, with the nose, front wing and eye-catching rear wing all redesigned, along with the floor in a bid to encourage closer wheel-to-wheel action.
Prior to the team shakedown, both Tatiana Calderon and 2022 F2 Champion Felipe Drugovich sampled the new car, but Wednesday’s action allowed the current crop of F2 talent to sample the machine ahead of pre-season testing on February 11-13 in Bahrain.
“The first goal of this shakedown was to have a clean session with no issues, and that’s what we achieved,” said ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins.
“We had a good run plan to get a first feeling of how the car is handling in corners and how it behaves.
“It was so nice to get back behind the wheel! The first feeling of the car is that it does not change a lot compared to last year’s, so I will be able to put my experience to good use for the new season.
“Everything went fine with no reliability issues. It’s a very positive start.
“Today was also about checking the aerodynamics because that’s the biggest change compared to the previous car, and to start working on set-up that will be relevant for when we go to Bahrain. We also checked that everything is working properly on the car.
“Of course, the goal is to go step-by-step, not damage the car and make the most out of the track time to develop and test different things, but I pushed also!
“I like it when straight away, you can push, you get the confidence. Honestly, I’m happy.
“It’s the first morning of the new season and it went well. I brought the car to the limit at some point, and I could feel I have a good car under me.
“We are in a good position ahead of pre-season testing. We have data to analyse, we will go further in our development. We will keep working with the team. I’m ready!”
Round 1 of the 2024 FIA F2 season commences in Bahrain on February 29 – March 02.
