Following the difficulty in starting the 2018 FIA Formula 2 car, the decision has been made to have rolling starts for the next two rounds at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone.
There have been issues pretty much in every race weekend in 2018, with the most recent race at the Circuit Paul Ricard seeing multiple issues, and despite a practice start session taking place in Austria on Friday, it was determined that the problems were still present, and it was decided to start the next four races behind the safety car as the series looks at a fix.
FIA Formula 2 CEO Bruno Michel said the decision to start the races with a safety car was with the safety of the drivers in mind, but many drivers will be grateful for the chance to be in the race rather than the pit lane when the rest of the field head down to turn one.
“This is not an ideal situation, but the drivers’ safety is a top priority,” said Michel. “As we do not have the time to test and properly validate a permanent fix to the starting issues what the FIA has decided is definitely the safest decision.
“This will also give us enough time to work on a solution to the problem and return to a safe and normal situation for Budapest and the remaining of the season.”
George Russell will lead the field to the line for Saturday’s Feature race in Austria after setting the pace in Qualifying and will be able to control the pace at the start, with championship rival Lando Norris just behind him.
