PREMA Racing delivered strong execution as racing kicked off at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the FIA Formula 2 Championship. Lining up within a very competitive field, Sebastian Montoya and Mari Boya made gains throughout the race after a tough qualifying session.
The focus was on maximizing every possible aspect to make gains in every area, and Montoya made the most of his chances. The Colombian-American got a great start and made up positions, managing both traffic and degradation very well. Despite a minor incident, he was able to inch close to the top 10 in a massive undertaking after starting from P20.
Mari Boya was also able to gain multiple positions despite hot conditions that didn't favour consistency, pushing elements like grip and tyre wear to the limit. The Spaniard was still able to capitalize on race events to make up ground. With cooler weather expected for tomorrow's Feature Race, Montoya and Boya will look to maximize the longer distance and potential strategy calls to put up an even more impressive recovery.
#11 - SEBASTIAN MONTOYA
"The car felt a little better than yesterday. It felt a lot like FP, where we were really competitive. Compared to Monaco, I would say it was much nicer. We were pushing a lot more, and I enjoyed it. I think we did a lot of work after yesterday to understand everything, and we've done a good job, but we still want to keep maximizing everything. A big topic has been the starts and making sure we can get the most out of them, and I think that's what made the difference today. We got off the line very strongly, had a very strong first lap, gained positions, and were aggressive but smart. Throughout the race, we also managed the tyres, the balance, and the traffic well. I think we did a really good job. That slight incident towards the end of the race may have compromised our overall race time, but in the end we finished more or less in the same position because the cars ahead were penalized. Overall, I think the main thing we have to learn from today is where our weak points are. Tomorrow is going to be a little different because of the cooler conditions. With the heat today, everything was a bit more exaggerated, but there are definitely some things we need to discuss and align on for tomorrow. At the same time, there were some really positive things we did today that we need to make sure we repeat tomorrow."
#12 - MARI BOYA
"I think the things we can manage were pretty good at the start today, to be honest. The feeling is pretty similar to what I had yesterday in qualifying. I'm lacking a lot of confidence under braking. As soon as I touch the brake, the rear gets loose, and in very hot conditions like we have now in Barcelona, I'm putting a lot of stress on the tyres. That makes things difficult, and I'm feeling a lot of degradation. Let's see for tomorrow if we can work in this direction and try to understand something."