The winter break has ended, and here we are with the Pre-Season testing of the Formula 2 2024 season!
The pre-season test was the first time F2 drivers could get on track for three days with the brand-new Formula 2 cars, which none of the drivers had driven because the regulations changed for 2024. This season has 10 rookies, and one of them is Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who had some challenges with the setup of the car but eventually found a good balance and got up to pace.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli at the Bahrein International Circuit by James Gasperotti
Day 1
The first day was unusual because it rained all day in Bahrein, a place known for having few days like this. Nevertheless, Antonelli was happy to get some driving in the wet and understand how the car and the tires behave in rainy conditions.
The first day of testing was completed with Kimi completing the highest number of laps, a total of 24, and finishing at #4 on the timing sheet.
Day 2
The second day was the first time Antonelli drove in the Bahrein circuit with dry conditions, and there was a lot to discover and learn in the first few sessions. It was also a day with a few struggles with the car's set-up, but nothing that couldn't be figured out and let Kimi get up to pace and feel happy with the car's balance.
On the second day, Andrea completed 51 laps in total, eight laps less than Bearman, finishing the AM session in P10 and the PM session in P21.
Day 3
The morning session of the last day was mostly focused on long-running stints, where Andrea Kimi Antonelli put the PREMA Racing #4 in P5 with a total of 48 laps completed. In the afternoon session, Kimi finished in P13 in the time sheets, with a total of 32 laps completed.
The car's balance and pace weren't bad either, but there is room for improvement.
Wrapping up
With the pre-season testing over, now is the time to analyze all the gathered data and find more performance in the car; if we want to fight for the championship, we need to have a car that is as good as the other teams.
Kimi Antonelli jumped to F2 directly from FRECA, so there is a lot to learn, but we have one "advantage" on our side, which is that it is a year of new regulations, so all drivers have to adapt to the new F2 machinery, kind of a reset, which gives more chances for Kimi since everyone has to adapt to this car and not just Kimi and the drivers coming from F3 (which by the way, are more similar to F2 than FRECA).
Overall, we are feeling good with these three first days, timing sheets of the pre-season testing are not indicative of the actual performance of the car, but we hope the team can learn as much as possible in those 2 weeks and be ready for when the season starts on February 28th.
