Important Experience Gained for Van Amersfoort Racing in Red Flag Dominated F2 Testing
After three days of testing for FIA Formula 3, it was also time for the FIA Formula 2 Championship to kick off the 2025 season with three days of testing in Barcelona. Our drivers, Rafael Villagómez and John Bennett, got some valuable track time ahead of the new season.
From February 24 until February 26, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was reserved for F2 testing. On the first two days, our drivers could hit the track from 9:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00. On Friday, the schedule was adjusted from 9:00-12:00 and 13:00-16:00. These six hours per day meant precious time for our drivers to learn as much as possible.
Day 1
The start of the first session of the three days of testing got delayed 45 minutes due to fog. When the cars finally could hit the track, there followed a red flag quite quickly. At the beginning of the test, the team completed short run plans without setting lap times. After the
short runs, our drivers started setting times and Rafael ended up with P18 and John with P20.
The afternoon session was filled with red flags. The first interruption of the F2 test came after just thirty minutes of running. The second red flag followed around the halfway mark. With only 15 minutes to go, the third red flag followed, and the final red flag of the afternoon brought the session to a premature end. Rafael finished in P16 and John in P20.
Credit: James Gasperotti
Day 2
Just like the afternoon session on Monday, Tuesday was full of red flags. The first one arrived after just 25 minutes. Another four interruptions happened, before John unfortunately caused the fifth red flag of the morning session. His car stranded in turn 2, and was cleared after the chequered flag. Rafael spent the session according to plan, and ended in P18. John finished in P20.
During the afternoon session, the team was focused on long runs. With only two red flags interrupting the session, the team could operate according to plan. Rafael felt comfortable during the last session of the second day, and put out a really strong lap. He finished in P5. John learned valuable lessons, and could improve compared to Monday and ended up in P12.
After the second day of testing already ended, the FIA concluded that cars 11, 16, 17 and 23 were found to have breached article 10.2 of the FIA Formula 2 Sporting Regulations. Due to this fact, all lap times of those cars were deleted, which meant that Rafael’s P18 from the morning became a P15, and John was promoted from P20 to P16. The afternoon result stayed the same for Rafael, and John moved up from P12 to P9.
Day 3
For the last day of the three-day test, the track was wet at first, due to overnight rain. With wet Pirelli tyres on, the first red flag of the day followed shortly, and it wasn’t long before the second red flag arrived.
With the track drying up, the lap times also improved. After the third red flag was cleared, John went out and noted an impressive lap, which put him into first place with around 40 minutes to go. After that, two more red flags occurred, and therefore the run time was once again cut short. Both drivers ended in the top ten for the last morning of testing. Rafael finished in P7 and John in P8.
Early on during the afternoon session, it was once again time to bring out the red flags. After the first interruption, John suffered a spin and tagged the wall ahead of the final corner, which brought out a second red flag. With two more red flags, the last test session was the final opportunity for our drivers to prepare and learn for the start of the season. Rafael ended the test with a P12, and John in P22.
After three days of learning and gaining valuable experience, the team’s eyes are set to the first race weekend of the 2025 season. The FIA F2 Championship will kick off in Melbourne, Australia from 14-16 March.
John Bennett - Formula 2 driver, Van Amersfoort Racing:
“Quite a tough test at Barcelona, but we learnt a lot and feeling optimistic going into Australia!”