Louis Delétraz aims to turn proven F2 speed into results at Barcelona

Louis Delétraz is determined to kick start his FIA Formula Two Championship season at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend after the frustration he experienced at round one in Bahrain last month.

An uncharacteristic stall on the grid meant the F2 rookie could only finish P20 in the Bahrain Feature Race and, although he impressed as he raced to P12 in Sunday’s Sprint Race, Louis felt he didn’t score the results that his pace deserved.

But that’s something the 20-year-old is determined to put right this weekend when the second F2 round of the season gets underway in Spain.

“I’m really looking forward to Barcelona because it’s been a month since Bahrain and I’m keen to get back in the car and to do better. That was a disappointing weekend. I think we had much more speed than the results showed. Now is the time to put that right,” the ADS Securities-supported driver said.

“Okay, the F2 season has started but I definitely haven’t achieved what I wanted yet. I’m really motivated to do well in the races that are coming up. The season is very long and I want to be good everywhere so that I can fight at the front and challenge.”

Louis is happy to be racing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend because it’s a track that he’s very familiar with and one that he’s scored strong results at in the past. It’s also the home event for his Racing Engineering team that has an exemplary record in the F2 category.

“I love the track because it’s very technical and presents a real challenge. It’s also a very mythical circuit because it always hosts the first European Grand Prix of the season and that creates a lot of excitement and intensity. I think it’s a track that should suit us well,” the Swiss driver explained.

The key to success in F2 is how quickly a driver can adapt to the track conditions at the start of the weekend and whether that allows them to show their best pace during Friday afternoon’s qualifying session that only lasts for 30 minutes.

Louis knows it’s imperative to make a fast start on the 4.66km Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. He said: “The main challenge in F2 is that you don’t get many laps to drive. We only have a 45-minute practice session on Friday where we will do some performance runs and then some race runs to prepare the car for the races on Saturday and Sunday.

“Then we’re straight into quali on the new tyres and we only maybe have two quick laps before you have quite a lot of [tyre] degradation. It’s vital that you put everything together for those two laps and that you’re really focused and on the pace straight away. It’s a challenge, but that’s why F2 is such a tough championship.”

To ensure he’s in top physical shape for the second F2 round of the season, Louis completed an intense physical training programme in Valencia last week before spending the early part of this week at Racing Engineering’s headquarters close to Jerez.

RACE RESULTS