12/03/2017
NEWS STORY
The 2017 FIA Formula 2 season officially kicks off tomorrow (Monday) with the first test session of the year at the Circuit de Catalunya.
The teams and drivers have set up camp for the next three days, from Monday to Wednesday, to prepare themselves ahead of the debut of the new championship which will start in one month's time, on April 14th at the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.
PREMA Racing, who have been given the honour of carrying car numbers 1 and 2 after their stunning season last year, with be hosting Ferrari Driver Academy drivers Charles Leclerc and Antonio Fuoco: the Monegasque ace will be hoping to repeat his championship winning form from the GP3 Series, while the Italian will look to build on his strong third place in the same category.
Racing Engineering is building on their traditionally strong line up with Louis Deletraz, fresh from P2 in Formula Renault 3.5, and Gustav Malja, who will look to build on his brace of podiums last year in the GP2 Series.
Luca Ghiotto will bring his race-winning experience to RUSSIAN TIME after a strong maiden season in GP2 last year, alongside fellow race winner Artem Markelov, while multiple championship winning team ART Grand Prix will host McLaren-Honda development driver Nobuharu Matsushita and GP3 Series vice champion Alexander Albon for the season.
DAMS bring an experienced line up in the shape of Oliver Rowland and Nicholas Latifi, with both men pushing to return the French team to the top of the pile, while over at Campos Racing the Spanish team will debut new signed racer Ralph Boschung, who steps up from GP3, while next to him Roberto Merhi brings his undoubted pedigree to the test with his countrymen.
MP Motorsport have a mixture of youth and experience in the shape of drivers Sergio Sette Camara, stepping up from European Formula 3, and Jordan King, who will bring his multiple race winning experience to bear as he returns to his old team, while Trident host young Malaysian racer Nabil Jeffri, alongside the experienced Sergio Canamasas for this test.
Over at Rapax the Italian squad have announced their 2017 line up in the shape of McLaren development driver Nyck De Vries, fresh from his race winning form in GP3, and Johnny Cecotto, who was on the podium with the team last time out in GP2, while at Pertamina Arden the British team will be helping Norman Nato and Sean Gelael achieve their dreams.
Pirelli have selected two different compounds for these three days: Hard (Prime) and Soft (Option). Each driver will be supplied with five sets of Prime and two sets of Option.
FIA Formula 2 Championship – Barcelona Test Session: Drivers' Entry List
01 Charles Leclerc MON PREMA Racing
02 Antonio Fuoco ITA PREMA Racing
03 Louis Deletraz SUI Racing Engineering
04 Gustav Malja SWE Racing Engineering
05 Luca Ghiotto ITA RUSSIAN TIME
06 Artem Markelov RUS RUSSIAN TIME
07 Nobuharu Matsushita JPN ART Grand Prix
08 Alexander Albon THA ART Grand Prix
09 Oliver Rowland GBR DAMS
10 Nicholas Latifi CAN DAMS
11 Ralph Boschung SUI Campos Racing
12 Roberto Merhi ESP Campos Racing
14 Sergio Sette Camara BRA MP Motorsport
15 Jordan King GBR MP Motorsport
16 Nabil Jeffri MAS Trident
17 Sergio Canamasas ESP Trident
18 Nyck De Vries NED Rapax
19 Johnny Cecotto VEN Rapax
20 Norman Nato FRA Pertamina Arden
21 Sean Gelael INA Pertamina Arden
Before some bright spark points out that we are accompanying this article with the GP2 logo, that's because we don't yet have the F2 logo.
Well we do, but the FOM lawyers will jump all over you and threaten things unimaginable if you use the official logo, therefore the only way you can use it - much like the FIA's, F1 and old GP2 logos - is if it appears on a flag or doormat (!) or whatever.
Sad but true.