Louis hunting more F2 silverware in Sochi
Louis Delétraz is determined to continue his red-hot form in the FIA Formula 2 Championship when the 10th round of the season gets underway in Sochi, Russia this weekend.
The Swiss driver claimed back-to-back podiums at Mugello last time out and his haul of 29 points was the joint highest of any driver at round nine.
Having finished an impressive P4 overall at the gruelling 24 Hours of Le Mans during the break between F2 races last weekend, Louis is ready to climb back into the cockpit of his Charouz Racing System car this weekend.
“We had a strong weekend at Mugello so we need to try and carry forward the momentum from that,” the 23-year-old said.
“We have made changes to the car during the year and our recent results show we are really starting to get everything together. Hopefully this time I can also finish a qualifying lap without being impeded. It would be nice to show the true pace of the car!”
The 5.84km Sochi Autodrom was opened in 2014 as a semi-permanent street track and navigates its way around the stadia that were used for the Winter Olympics in that year.
After recent trips to high-speed and high-downforce tracks, the smooth, wall-lined Sochi circuit presents a different challenge for the F2 field.
“There are a lot of second- and third-gear corners that are quite technical, and normally that suits me. For sure, there isn’t the same overall sensation as a circuit such as Spa or Silverstone but it is a different kind of challenge,” the Haas F1 Team test and reserve driver explained.
“And of course, I had a podium in Sochi last year so you tend to prefer tracks where you’ve already had a strong result!”
Louis sits only 39 points off the championship lead with three events to run. And with a maximum of 48 points available at each remaining round, there’s all to play for as the 2020 season nears its conclusion.
But Louis insists he’s not paying too much attention to the current points standings.
“I’m close to the leader, but it is so close that we are still P7 in the standings,” he said. “I hope we can do the same performance as we did at Mugello and get closer again. We’ve been closing the gap across the last few weekends.
“The focus now isn’t the championship, it is just this weekend and to extract the maximum we can. The objective, as always, is to try and win.”
Louis will get his Russian Grand Prix weekend underway with F2 qualifying at 14.00 on Friday. Saturday’s 28-lap Feature Race will start at 10.15, while Sunday’s 21-lap Sprint Race will go green at 10.55 (CET+1).
