Hadjar, who has secured two wins in FIA Formula 2 this season, and Martí, with the added motivation of competing in front of his home crowd, will seek to take their Dallara F2 2024 machinery in Red Bull-colors to the top of the podium at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Campos Racing will defend their lead in the team standings
The FIA Formula 2 season finally arrives on the Iberian Peninsula this coming weekend with the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. For Campos Racing and Pepe Martí, it means racing at home in front of their fans. For Isack Hadjar, it's a chance to move into the category lead, as the Frenchman is only two points behind the current leader. Additionally, Campos Racing will aim to defend and, if possible, increase their lead in the team standings, where the Alzira-based team currently hold first place with 104 points, nine ahead of Hitech Pulse-Eight.
The entire Campos Racing team comes with high morale. Hadjar, who faced some early-season teething issues with his Dallara F2 2024 that cost him valuable points, began his comeback in Melbourne. There, the French driver claimed his first victory in the category by winning on Sunday and repeated this success in the feature race at Imola. Hadjar was close to a third Sunday triumph in Monaco, but a Virtual Safety Car in the final stages gave a decisive advantage to a rival who hadn't yet pitted, thus snatching the victory from the Frenchman. With this second place in the streets of Monaco, Hadjar is second in the drivers' standings with 78 points, just two behind Paul Aron.
Barcelona-born driver Martí will look to reverse his recent run of bad luck, and there's no better place to do it than the circuit located just a few kilometers from his hometown. Martí, who achieved double podium finishes in his FIA Formula 2 debut in Bahrain, aims to regain his good form this coming weekend. Montmeló is a track that holds fond memories for Martí, who secured one of his three FIA Formula 3 victories there last year.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is likely one of the tracks where all drivers have the most experience and mileage, being a regular venue for races and pre-season testing. In fact, during the FIA Formula 2 collective tests held there last April, Hadjar and Martí ended the three days as the two fastest drivers on the timesheets. A promising starting point to approach the weekend with optimism. Opened in 1991, following the legacy of other Barcelona circuits like Montjuic or Pedralbes, Montmeló spans 4.657 meters and features a wide range of medium- and high-speed corners. Running clockwise, the left-side tires especially suffer, particularly in this time of year with likely high temperatures.
Both the free practice and qualifying sessions will take place on Friday at 11:05 and 15:55, respectively. On Saturday, the sprint race will start at 14:15, while the main race, with a mandatory pit stop for tire changes, will be held at 11:35. All times are in Spanish time zone.
Adrián Campos (Team Principal of Campos Racing): “Racing in Barcelona is always special for the whole team because it means racing in front of our fans and also in Pepe's birthplace. This gives us even more motivation to shine in a year where we are achieving phenomenal results. We are leading the team standings and Isack is just two points off the lead in the drivers' standings. Barcelona is also a track that has always suited us well and in the collective tests last April both Isack and Pepe finished first and second on the timesheets. Now we need to convert that potential in testing into race results and score as many points as possible to stay in the fight for the titles.”
Isack Hadjar (Campos Racing Driver in FIA Formula 2): “I am happy to take part of the team’s home race! Barcelona is a track I really enjoy and the car felt good in testing there earlier this season. Ready for it!”
Pepe Martí (Campos Racing Driver in FIA Formula 2): “I'm super excited to race at home, it's a very special weekend for me especially after last year's win in F3. I can't wait to get started also with the event on Wednesday in Barcelona city center. It will be a weekend to remember so I'm looking forward to being behind the wheel again!”
Photos: © Dutch Photo Agency
