Formula Regional European Champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli feels he is getting to grips with the leap to Formula 2 despite a difficult pre-season test in Bahrain.
The first day of the test was disrupted by rain and Antonelli only managed 20 laps in the second. However he tackled the areas for improvement he identified from his first run in an F2 car in Abu Dhabi, including his fitness.
“After three days, I was quite tired physically,” he said. “So that for sure was one thing to work on.”
Antonelli’s new car has more than twice as much power as the one he raced last year – 620bhp compared to 270bhp. It also generates substantially more downforce, allowing it to corner more quickly, and its stopping power is greater too.
“After Abu Dhabi, in terms of driving, obviously I needed to get used to the carbon brakes, which were quite a big step compared to the previous cars,” Antonelli explained. “So that was one main thing.
“Also to be able to use a bit better the downforce of the car, especially in the entry phase of the corner. There were the main two things to work on after Abu Dhabi.”
While Antonelli sampled a previous-generation F2 car last year, the series introduced a new chassis for 2024. Drivers had their first chance to experience it in Spain last month.
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“We did a shakedown in Barcelona where we didn’t really push the car,” he said. “Obviously in Bahrain we could test it properly and I could feel the downforce working better in high speed. In low speed it felt quite similar compared to the old car.
“While the driving I quite improved on the braking, I have to say, it was a big step forward, even though I can do a little better still. Also I improved quite a bit during the day on the long run.
“So I was really happy about that. But also I could see I could still do something better, so for sure for the race I’ll try something different in order to do better.”
Another significant point of difference is F2’s tyres. Although both series use Pirelli rubber, F2 tyres must withstand with higher forces and longer races, and need skilful management much like those in F1.
“Managing the tyre in F2 is quite difficult,” Antonelli admitted. “The key point, I think, is to keep the tyres under these thermal window, because if you keep them under that window, the tyres perform really well and they last really well as well.
“The…
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