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Formula 2 2024 season: Reliability issues, a new wing and a new surface in Belgium

by Samarth Kanal

5min read

F2 Spa race start

Campos Racing is edging closer to its first Formula 2 title after Red Bull junior driver Isack Hadjar’s feature race win in Belgium - where the sprint race was truncated to just five racing laps.

Under heavy rain, the sprint race was delayed then shortened due to safety reasons, meaning points were only awarded to the top-five finishers on Saturday. 

Sunday’s feature race took place in dry conditions and was won by Hadjar, who carved out a 36-point championship lead over Invicta Racing’s Gabriele Bortoleto - while Hitech’s Paul Aron - who entered Belgium second in the standings - retired from the race.

Reliability issues therefore emerged as a talking point over the weekend, while the new low-downforce rear wing and a resurfaced track also turned heads. 

Saturday’s sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps was won by DAMS’s Zak O’ Sullivan - but only five points were awarded as it was shortened to five racing laps

Dry ice being collected to cool an engine before a Formula 1 race

Reliability issues - and a penalty for dry ice

 
Aron entered Belgium second to Hadjar in the standings but retired from podium contention with an engine problem on the final lap of the feature race at Spa.
 
Prema’s Kimi Antonelli didn’t seem to have any reliability trouble in Belgium but he will face a five-place grid drop at Monza for a peculiar infringement: dry ice was seen coming out of his car on the formation lap ahead of the feature race.
 
Dry ice pellets are used to cool the engines of the stationary cars before the race, in the absence of airflow. As per the technical regulations, non-liquid cooling agents must only be contained in the car when it is stationary.
 
Aron wasn’t the only driver to face reliability problems on Sunday.
 
Bortoleto said that his throttle sprung an issue on the way to the grid - but engine technicians from the championship replaced the throttle motor to prevent him from retiring.  
 
“The team did a really good job, but also F2. They were the ones changing the pieces in the car and they were super quick to understand what was the issue,” he said.
 
However, the Brazilian - who retired from the Saudi Arabian and Australian feature races earlier this season - conceded: “Reliability has been a problem for me at the beginning of the season, we had two rounds of issues. But it’s understandable… the teams are getting more used to working with the cars and it’s working quite well.”
 
DAMS’s Jak Crawford, who finished third in Sunday’s feature race, said that his steering wheel electronically disconnected early on in that race - leaving him unable to shift gears and without any data on the screen.
 
Fortunately for the American driver, the steering wheel reset itself and he continued on his way.

The new F2 low-downforce wing debuts

 
The new rear wing remains one of the biggest talking points surrounding the new-for-2024 F2 car but, for one particular driver, that new rear wing took a wildly different form at Spa.
 
MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger tested the new low-downforce rear wing in Friday practice in Belgium and retained the wing for Sunday’s feature race, which took place in dry conditions. He did however revert to the normal rear wing during Saturday’s sprint race, which took place in wet conditions. 
 
Teams have two rear wings to choose from throughout the weekend: a medium-downforce rear wing and a low-downforce rear wing. The high-downforce specification however is only available for use in Monaco.
 
Hauger used the wing to finish 12th in Sunday’s feature race. No other driver chose that specification during qualifying nor the race as, while Spa is considered a low-downforce circuit, the higher level of downforce lent by the medium-downforce package gives drivers the grip they need through Sector 2 and the slower-speed corners of the track.

Comparison showing the wing run by Dennis Hauger in Sunday’s F2 feature race at Spa-Francorchamps (below) and the normal wing run by Hauger in the previous round at the Hungaroring

Dennis Hauger reverted to the medium downforce rear wing during Saturday’s wet sprint race

Other drivers reasoned that they did not consider using the low-downforce rear wing in Belgium because it is a track with slow corners - the final chicane and Turn 1 - and a swathe of medium-speed corners in Sectors 1 and 2. It is likely that the low-downforce wings will appear on their cars in the next rounds: in Italy and in Azerbaijan.

“For this race? No. I think they tested it in [Free Practice], MP [Motorsport], and it was not that good. Obviously, they had the data. We decided to stick with MDF [medium downforce], even in the sim, we tested it and it was better,” said Bortoleto.

Crawford added: “I honestly thought more teams would try it than they did. I don’t know how Hauger [performed] but I think it’s pretty straightforward here; we know how crucial the second sector is, and with DRS in the first sector you don’t lose that much with the DRS open. 

“Obviously for Monza and Baku it’s a different story where you have four kilometres in a straight line so you definitely need the low downforce there.”

The fast lane of the pitlane (left) was resurfaced in June along with numerous parts of the track itself

‘So much more grip’ - Spa’s new surface

 
It’s not just the Formula 2 car that has undertaken a major change in 2024 - but the track surface at Spa-Francorchamps. 
 
This historic circuit underwent a major renovation in June 2024 having had 3.5 kilometres of its tarmac resurfaced to provide more grip and better drainage.
 
The surface was relaid from:
 
- Turn 17 to Turn 2: Blanchimont to Eau Rouge, including the fast lane of the pitlane.
 
- Turn 4 to Turn 8: from the Kemmel Straight to the middle of Les Combes
 
- From Turn 14 to Turn 15: Campus to Stavelot
 
This was done for the sake of safety, grip, and drainage.
 
"It has also been shown that laying new tarmac requires specific weather conditions. In the event of temperature variations, the strength of the asphalt can be problematic, which is why we decided to carry out the work in June,” said Amaury Bertholome, CEO of the circuit, as he explained the reasons for the changes. 

I've never had this much grip around this track.

Gabriel Borteleto

, on resurfaced track at Spa-Francorchamps

Drivers spoke positively about the changes after the qualifying session on Friday at Spa, which was held in dry conditions. Saturday afternoon’s sprint race was however delayed and eventually truncated to less than half-distance on Saturday evening. 

“Actually, it was really nice. I’ve never had this much grip around this track,” said Bortoleto, who in Belgium moved up to third in the standings thanks to his second-place finish on Sunday. 

He explained that he had to change his gear ratios - making them taller and increasing the car’s top speed - to account for the improved grip.

“You could just feel the mechanical grip that the track was providing, and actually, from what I prepared in the simulator, I changed my gears quite a bit - we were running higher gears because we were carrying so much more speed - and obviously with Turn 1 and the last corner being the two slowest speed corners on the track, the traction was so much better because there was just so much more grip.”​

Gabriel Bortoleto praised the improved grip at Spa-Francorchamps due to the new surface

Campos Racing’s championship leader Hadjar concurred, adding: “Last time I had a dry session in Spa in qualifying was a long time ago, I think it was in FRECA [Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine].  

“I think it was really enjoyable today, I think it was the best feeling I had in an F2 car so far, so I wish all the tarmacs were the same!”

He added that, because of the new surface, Spa-Francorchamps provided better grip than the Hungaroring, which hosted the previous race. 

Teams now have a four-week break - and around two weeks of holiday before they return to their respective factories - before the next round of the 2024 F2 championship, at Monza. 

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