Three days of running in Barcelona last month enabled the Hitech GP pairing of Paul Aron and Amaury Cordeel to gain all-important mileage in the new Formula 2 car. It was an invaluable test as the team builds on the strong start they have made to the 2024 season. After the opening three rounds, Paul is the highest-classed rookie in the field, have scoring three podiums from the six races. He sits second overall in the drivers’ standings on 47 points.
“It’s been a successful start and coming in as a rookie, the results are better than I’d expected,” said the 20-year-old. “I think that’s a reflection of the work myself and the whole Hitech GP team have done over the winter and I’m delighted that it’s paying off. We’ve spent a lot of time working on my driving style and technique as well as engineering the car to my liking more. I’ve certainly exceeded my expectations in the opening three rounds of the year.”
Paul was right on the pace from the season opener, when he scored a fifth place in the Sprint and a third in the Feature race in Bahrain. The Estonian then started from pole in Saudi Arabia – securing a second place – and was on the podium once again in the Melbourne Feature race.
“In Sakhir we proved we had the pace right from the off and it has been important to continue to make steps forward at each round,” added Paul. “The difference in circuit characteristics from Bahrain to Jeddah and then Melbourne meant it was important to be consistent and adapt to the intricacies that each track has. I’m really happy we’ve been able to continue that strong performance throughout the opening phase of the year.”
Amaury has also made a strong start to his F2 campaign, thanks to his superb drive in Jeddah. After starting 20th on the grid, he brilliantly finished fifth after an impressive stint on the super soft tyre. The drive equalled his best result to-date in Formula 2 – although he was pipped to the line after a drag race out of the final corner, just missing out on a podium.
The Belgian has been working hard to adapt to the new-spec Formula 2 car and was pleased to have left Spain with the fastest time in the final afternoon session. He was the first driver to drop into the 1:24s in that session and his 1:24.487s time left him 1.4s clear of the pack after he’d completed 65 laps in the afternoon.
“This car is still very new for the team and the drivers,” said Amaury. “The three-day test was really useful to gain more mileage at the wheel of the car and to understand its characteristics more. Obviously, everyone else is making steps forward but as we start the European season, it’s important we continue to push for performance.”
With decent mileage in the three-day test for both long-run race pace, as well as trialing downforce configurations with different wing settings, the team was pleased with the progress both drivers made at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. F2 continues with round four at Imola on May 17-19.
