In difficult conditions and after a number of penalties causing a disturbance. Iwasa starts the race 4th and finishes 7th to secure points
Red Bull RingThe Feature Race of the FIA Formula 2 Round 8 Austria took place on Sunday 10 July. As per the qualifying order, Ayumu Iwasa started from P4 in Row 2 of the grid.
At the Red Bull Ring, after some morning rain, clear blue skies began to prevail as the start of the F2 Feature Race neared. However, the track surface was wet in many parts and a wet race was declared for the start at 10.05am. The ambient temperature was 14°C and the track temperature was 22°C. The track was wet in places, but there were also many dry parts, making tyre choice very difficult. The race got underway with many of the top cars on wet tyres while many of the midfielders and below opted for dry tyres.
After a good start, Iwasa moved up to 2nd by the first corner. He was then passed by the following car at Turn 4 but finished the first lap in 3rd. On Lap 2, a car spun and stopped, which brought on the Safety Car. As the race resumed on Lap 5, track conditions recovered quickly and those cars on dry tyres got faster.
Struggling on wet tyres, Iwasa was passed by the trailing cars one after another on Laps 6 and 7, dropping to 7th place. He then made a pit stop on Lap 8, switched to medium tyres, and returned to the race in 14th.
Midway through, cars that had started on dry tyres pitted and Iwasa recovered his position to 9th on Lap 16. He continued to attempt to move up the field but was unable to overtake others in the close battle. As such, he remained 9th into the final stage of the race.
A number of warnings and penalties were issued for running off the track from mid-race. Iwasa also received a warning and then a five-second time penalty towards the end of the race. Iwasa's pace did not improve from mid-race onwards, but he held on to his 9th position to take the chequered flag after 40 laps. After the race, time was added to those who had been penalised. However, as many cars at the front also received a penalty, Iwasa’s final result was 7th and he collected six points.
Iwasa now has a total of 44 points and is 13th in the driver standings.
The race started under very difficult conditions and, as I was 4th in the 2nd row of the grid, I chose wet tyres to mitigate the risk. When all said and done, it was better to have started the race on dry tyres, but nothing could have been done about it. I started well and moved up the field. It became difficult to run on wet tyres early on and I changed tyres. But after changing to dry tyres, the setup didn’t work out and I had a lot of understeer. I had a wet setup that could have been used in dry conditions, but it didn't work, and I had to compete in the race with the car in imbalance. As for today's result, I don't think it was anyone's fault, as the conditions were very difficult. However, in order to get good results, even in a race like this, I think we need to work harder in details both strategically and machine-wise. I want to make the most of this experience.As for the penalty, I have to admit that I’m not fully convinced. There was a lack of clarity about the track limits, and I was driving with a margin after receiving the third warning. Even so, I don’t understand how I was penalised.Next up is the Circuit Paul Ricard and I have experience of driving there in F3. I will put my feelings behind me and move on.
