While achieving no points in Race 1 in Melbourne, PREMA Racing showed a promising pace today at Albert Park, home to round 3 of the FIA Formula 2 Championship this weekend.

After his positive qualifying session yesterday, Kimi Antonelli had a solid run that led him straight into the podium fight. Having moved up to the fourth position from row 5, he was making a push to secure P3 when a mistake sent him into the gravel. The Italian will try to put the same pace to fruition in the Feature Race, starting from the front row.

Coming from a qualifying session impacted by red flags and a technical issue, Ollie Bearman also made a swift recovery, dicing his way through the pack. He finished in P8 but was eventually penalized for not leaving enough room in a close-quarter situation, losing the points finish.

3 OLLIE BEARMAN

“A decent race as I managed to come back through the field and the pace felt really good. I took a penalty after the race, which was a bit unfortunate, but we managed to have a decent race. Let’s try to bring more tomorrow.”

Qualifying: P16
Starting Position Race 1: P16
Fastest lap: 1:30.570
Race 1: P14

4 KIMI ANTONELLI

“The start was good and so was our race pace. I felt really comfortable, and got up to P4, but while fighting for P3 I lost the car in T12, ending up in the gravel. It’s a real shame because I think today a podium was in our reach considering the pace we had. We have another day tomorrow to bounce back so will learn from this and work for tomorrow.”

Qualifying: P2
Starting Position Race 1: P9
Fastest lap: 1:29.038
Race 1: DNF

Source | Photo: PREMA Racing