Out of Context F2: Keeping up with the Urals

All interviews: by Sergio Álvarez. Photography: by Diego Merino

Wassup, peeps?

Since we don’t do weekly Charlas any more, we felt we sort of needed to fill the void between races with some useful information such as, is there life on Mars? How unfair is the Martian society? Just pulling your leg there – we all know that aliens exist only on Uranus, with its upside down social injustice system.

So last week we were talking to Jüri Vips about all things tyres and he gave us some interesting clues.

This week, we delve into our most recent archives to bring you Luca Ghiotto’s view on Formula 2’s 18” rubber grip assassins.

It’s a joke. A motorsport joke. You dig?

Ghiotto STLY (same time last year)

Declared Ghiotto: “Yeah, it is (a challenge for everyone). I think, well, I honestly tried to understand them (Pirelli tyres).

“The thing is it looks like small changes in temperatures, or track temperature, or air temperature, is making a very big difference on how the tyres behave and small mistakes make TEN times more of an affect on the tyre life compared to what they were doing on the old tyre.

“So really small things sometimes make a really big, big, big difference.”

Moving on to Ferrari and staying with the Italian theme, we had time to ask Callum Ilott about the ‘stress’ of being a Ferrari Junior. Inevitable, innit? With the Scuderia performing miserably in F1, the junior guys in F2 are the only ones challenging for big trophies in 2020. No pressure then.

Callum Ilott STLY (same time last year)

Callum spoke about his multiple home races and his favourite colour being red (it’s a motorsport play on words, you feel me?): “Well, I’ve got four home races this year, technically so…

“Silverstone, which was my proper home race, was good fun and nice to be there. Obviously, the first weekend wasn’t as good as it could be but the second weekend was really, really good so, um, to come to Italy, Monza being a circuit that I know and I’m quite good at, it’s alright.

“We haven’t got all the fans like normal here so it’s a bit of a different atmosphere but to be honest, y’know, you turn up to every circuit and you treat it with the same idea: go as fast as possible and try not to crash.”

Is it nice to hear words of encouragement from (team principal of Scuderia Ferrari in Formula One) Mattia Binotto?

“Yeah, obviously, I mean, I think within the FDA (Ferrari Driver Academy) we’re doing a good job in the championsip.

“I think, as well, this year there’s a lot of strong drivers and a lot of competition so it’s even better to stand out amongst that. But yeah, obviously if Mattia is watching us, that’s a benefit to all of us.”

MB is watching you. You heard it here first. Yeah.

I’m positive that one guy who was certainly watching all F2 action from Mugello would have to be https://www.hitechgp.co.uk/ boss, Oli Oakes. He must’ve liked what he saw in the Feature Race as it witnessed Hitech’s 1-2 with Mazepin leading Ghiotto. They licked and sent it – using Generation Z legal jargon. Don’t lick stuff, kids. Especially now, it’s not tremendously hygienic.

Mazepin STLY (same time last year)

The Sprint Race turned out to be a completely different affair due to team-mates colliding. The Golden Rule, right? With an ART in the middle there’s some leeway. No ART, no good.

The only ART on the road to victory in the SR was that of C. Lundgaard, but not in the middle between the two Hitechs.

Coincidentally – and obviously – we asked Luca Ghiotto in Monza (after the Feature Race) how did it look from the car to get squeezed onto the grass at 300 kph approaching the braking zone, not that LG was squeezed or anything in Mugello, more like rammed into? That ART of Lundgaard was pretty close to being in the middle in Monza, hence no crash. Where’s Christian when you need him? Or Yuki T?