After starting from 17th Ayumu Iwasa retires due to a problem with his car
Baku City CircuitRound 4 of the FIA Formula 2 Championship kicked off on the Baku City Circuit in the capital of Azerbaijan.
In the qualifying session on Friday 28, April, Ayumu Iwasa, a Honda Formula Dream Project (HFDP) driver was 10th fastest in his first attempt and was aiming at a higher position in his second. However, the traffic and team miscommunication prevented him from making a final attack and he was unable to improve his lap time, finishing 17th in qualifying. In the Sprint Race on Saturday 29, Iwasa started from P17 on Row 9 of the grid.
Under an ambient temperature of 23°C and a track temperature of 49°C, the formation lap of the 21-lap Sprint Race got underway at 3：00pm. Iwasa moved up at the start, but then lost position and finished the first lap in 18th. On Lap 3, a car stopped on the track, which brought on the Safety Car. As the race resumed on Lap 6, Iwasa was looking to improve his position from 17th.
However, on Lap 10 his car developed a problem, and he was forced to slow down. After a slow return to the pit, Iwasa got out of the car and retired. This is his first retirement of the season.
It’s the first time that I haven’t made it to the final lap of an F2 race. This is very disappointing. The system of the car shut down due to an electrical wiring problem. I managed to get back to the pit, but it was difficult to repair it quickly. This problem aside, the overall situation has been lackluster. I’ve the impression that we’re behind the competitors because we don’t have a clear direction for our car. For the Feature Race, we have no issue with fixing the problem. In addition, it’s important to be as prepared as possible also in other aspects and to finish well. Regardless of the finishing position, there will always be something I can learn by doing my job to the best of my ability. I will work with the team to have a good Feature Race for our future.
