Ayumu Iwasa and Enzo Fittipaldi finished in second and third place, respectively, in Silverstone’s Sprint Race during round seven of the 2022 FIA Formula 2 championship and both rookie drivers have something in common: it was their second podium of the season.
The Red Bull junior, Iwasa, previously took second place in the Barcelona Sprint Race with Fittipaldi claiming his maiden podium during Imola’s Feature Race.
While the Japanese driver has put in some stellar performances including an overtaking clinic during round one in Sakhir, the results haven’t come as easy due to one reason or another.
Following his podium in Britain, Iwasa was asked if a set-up change was the reason for his increase in pace to which he answered, “Actually, the car was quick all the time for me, I just could not get enough results with it.”
“I had a bad Quali in Baku and Monaco and then also I had a bad race, so I was making the bad situation myself. The car was quick, just I couldn’t manage the weekend myself, so I think this is a good point to change everything and also to get one good step forward. I think this weekend will be important.”
Just like the other two rookies on the podium, the DAMS driver found the soggy Silverstone Sprint Race to be a great learning experience, “To be honest, I was struggling with the car balance even at the end, but it was quick, so it was not bad.”
“I was the same as Jack [Doohan], managing the tyre from the beginning, focusing on not sliding, and overheating on the rear, including down the straight. It didn’t have a big effect, so the tyre was getting worse and worse, and it was very difficult.”
“I think if I could push a little bit earlier I think I could catch him. But this is a good experience for me so I will keep pushing for the next race now.”
While Iwasa was putting the pressure on Virtuosi Racing’s Jack Doohan ahead of him, Fittipaldi was soaking up the pressure from championship contender Théo Pourchaire who was on the hunt in fourth place.
On the topic of the late pressure from the ART Grand Prix driver, Fittipaldi said, “Me and him had really similar pace so I knew that it was going to be a fight for P3 at the end, but I started going a bit faster.”
“I pushed a little bit more and we were able to create a little bit of a gap in the last couple of laps. The pressure was there, but I think we managed it well and we came home with a P3.”
Looking ahead to the drivers in front of him, Fittipaldi felt that third place was the best that he could achieve in the tricky conditions.
“I think we maximized the result we had today because Jack and Ayumu were honestly really quick. We couldn’t keep up with those two. I’m just really happy with the P3. I think we came home with a good result.”
“Very good points for the championship. I think we were able to maximize the whole race. Considering the start, we had a good pace. I think we were just too quick in the beginning, me particularly because I was able to get past Jehan and then the tyre just fell away and it was about managing from the middle to the end.”
The next round of F2 takes place at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg where Fittipaldi has tasted success before. The young Brazilian won at the track in the 2018 ADAC Formula 4 championship and achieved a podium in the in the 2019 Formula Regional European Championship.
