R02 Jeddah - FIA Formula 2 Race Preview
The FIA Formula 2 Championship is returning to Jeddah for Round 2 of the 2024 season, and PREMA Racing is heading to Saudi Arabia with the goal of continuing a positive run of form at the fast seashore circuit in the last few seasons, with three wins and six podiums in the series. Coming from a challenging run in the opening round of the year in Bahrain, the team will return to action less than one week later, hungry for a comeback.
On the track that handed him his first points finish in 2023, the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy's Ollie Bearman is looking to kickstart his second season. On the other hand, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team Junior Kimi Antonelli got his first points finish in Bahrain, making a comeback after a tough qualifying session.
One of the fastest tracks on the calendar, the 6.2-kilometer Jeddah Corniche Circuit will provide a multi-faceted challenge as it's only visited for the race weekend. As it has a less abrasive surface compared to Bahrain, tyre manufacturer Pirelli has selected the P Zero Yellow medium as the Prime Tyres and the P Zero Purple supersoft as the Option Tyres.
RENÉ ROSIN - Team Principal
"We didn't have an easy weekend at Bahrain with the new FIA F2 car, and we are eager to get back on track to make a step on a normally friendly venue like Jeddah. We were impressed by Kimi's first rookie outing and we are looking forward to helping Ollie make gains and return to full form. We have been working nonstop this week to investigate and make a step forward, and we feel prepared and ready to go."
Weekend Timetable*
Thursday, February 28th, 2024
12:55 - Free Practice
18:00 - Qualifying
Friday, February 29th, 2024
18:10 - Sprint Race
Saturday, February 29th, 2024
16:25 - Feature Race
*All times local