Full Throttle

The new Formula 2 championship held its first pre-season test day at Snetterton yesterday with all 24 cars running for the first time.

The sessions were untimed but former GP2 driver Andy Soucek says he was pleased with the feel of the Williams F1-designed car.

“I have a very good feeling about this car and the championship,” he said. “I have done four years of Formula 3, one year of Formula Renault 3.5 and two years of GP2 so I’m used to these type of cars, but the Williams JPH1 surprised me.

“The levels of downforce exceeded my expectations, the grip levels are good and once we have the new Avon tyre tomorrow it should be even more fun to drive. It is easier to follow another car than in F3 and GP2 as you don’t lose so much aero. It means that being behind someone really permits you to get close to them, so I’m sure we will see a lot of overtaking this year.”

“The first session was really great,” enthused 21-year-old Swiss Natacha Gachnang. “The car feels really nice, and although I wasn’t pushing too hard you can feel that the car is really powerful and it will be a good apprenticeship towards Formula One.”

Alex Brundle, who last year competed in Formula Palmer Audi, had similar praise after his first experience of the JPH1: “The car feels brilliant - it’s awesome in the high speed turns. I’m sure it will be even better when we use the brand new F2 rubber.”

Jack Clarke, who raced against Brundle in FPA in 2008, was quick to complement the speed and reliability of the F2 car. “The car is really quick down the straight,” he explained, “but it also has a lot of grip and you can feel the aerodyanmics through the high speed corners. I haven’t had a single problem with the car, so it all bodes really well for tomorrow.”

MotorSport Vision’s Chief Executive Jonathan Palmer marked the start of the two day test with an introductory briefing to all drivers, sponsors, their families and invited guests.

“I’m sure you’ll agree this is a hugely significant occasion and I really believe we’re making history,” said Palmer. “Formula Two is going to create a revolution in motorsport. The combination of high performance, F1 safety standards and 16 races all for just £200,000 was disbelieved when the FIA first invited tenders, but now with a full grid of drivers and the cars all complete, the reality has arrived.”

Palmer also confirmed that he has received good wishes from FIA President Max Mosley and Williams Director of Engineering Patrick Head: “The partnership with Williams is a hugely important part of F2,” he added. “The FIA will also be monitoring the Formula Two very closely to ensure that the highest standards of equality, organisation and operation are carried out.”

An international field of drivers have signed up for the 2009 season including Italian F3 champion Mirko Bortolotti, Swiss racer Natacha Gachnang - cousin of Torro Rosso F1 pilot Sebastien Buemi - and three sons of former F1 drivers: Henry Surtees, Alex Brundle and Jolyon Palmer.

UPDATE: Here are a couples quotes and times after the timed test session.

Rob Wickens set the pace in the first official test for the revived Formula 2 series at Snetterton Wednesday.

“It was a good reward and a good way to end the first test day of testing, but ultimately it’s only the first day of a long season,” said Wickens.

“I really enjoyed it and I felt very comfortable in the car. The competition is very tight. I was surprised at one point when I was only three tenths off the best time, but I was way down in the overall positions. It’s definitely what you can expect from the whole season and I think it should be good.”

Bortolotti was pleasantly surprised to be as high as second, having taken a conservative approach to the day.

“To be honest I just wanted to learn the car and track today so I wasn’t focused on times, but when I saw that I was second I was really pleased,” said the Italian Formula 3 champion.

After a further group test at Silverstone later this month, the championship commences at Valencia on 29-31 May.

Leading Wednesday times:

Pos Driver Time Gap
1. Robert Wickens 59.433s
2. Mirko Bortolotti 59.601s + 0.168s
3. Alex Brundle 59.655s + 0.222s
4. Andy Soucek 59.763s + 0.330s
5. Philipp Eng 59.963s + 0.530s
6. Milos Pavlovic 59.970s + 0.537s
7. Julien Jousse 59.974s + 0.541s
8. Sebastian Hohenthal 1m00.070s + 0.637s
9. Mikhail Aleshin 1m00.147s + 0.714s
10. Tobias Hegewald 1m00.164s + 0.731s