GUSTAV MALJA AIMING FOR STRONG F2 SHOWING AT “HOME”
After a five-week hiatus, the FIA Formula 2 Championship springs back to life this weekend for the penultimate round of the season at Spain’s Circuito de Jerez, with Gustav Malja determined to put on a strong performance as he returns to racing action.
For Malja, the up-coming weekend will mark somewhat of a home event, despite a distance of some 3000 kilometres between Jerez and the Swede’s home city of Malmö. Malja’s team, Racing Engineering, is based just a short drive from the circuit in the nearby town of Sanlúcar, raising hopes of a competitive showing in the land of sherry.
“We have some pretty long in-season breaks in Formula 2, and it’s been a while since the last race at Monza,” says Gustav Malja. “I’m really looking forward to getting back in the car. It’s the team’s home event, and I’ve spent a lot of time in the Jerez area this year, preparing for all the races at the workshop. Furthermore, I’ve driven the track many, many times in testing and racing, so it’s a place I know really well.”
Malja, however, plays down the sporting significance of the team’s geographic proximity to the Andalusian venue, which hosts F2’s only standalone, non F1-supporting round of the season.
“I don’t think we’ll have any real technical advantage over the other teams this weekend,”Malja concludes. “We might be based nearby, but Racing Engineering is very much an international team and it’s not like we have a massive Jerez-specific database or something like that. Having said that, however, things will obviously be easier this weekend from a logistical point of view. We’re only half an hour away from the workshop, which helps. I’m really eager to get out on track!”
While not sitting on the F1 support bill this weekend, the F2 event schedule will still follow its traditional structure, with running set to commence with free practice and qualifying on Friday. The feature race takes place on Saturday, followed by the partially reversed-grid sprint race to wrap things up on Sunday.
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