The 2017 season will have 22 stages and will visit 10 countries of Europe and Middle East
This weekend, between April 14 and 16 , the green light will be given for the first season of the FIA F2. The championship, which until last year was known for GP2 Series, is the last step for a driver before going into F1. The only Brazilian in the competition, Sérgio Sette Câmara (SANEPAV | BELL), of Belo Horizonte, is only 18 years old and will have the challenge of adapting to one of the hardest categories today.
Disputes this week will take place in Sahkir circuit in Bahrain. The track, which is 5400 meters, is no longer a novelty to Sette Câmara. Two weeks ago the driver was here in this racetrack and, together with the other competitors of the season, he took part in three days of collective training. The F2 pre season was quite short and the competitors had six days of testing to adapt to their cars and also to prepare their equipment for the whole season. The first training was at the track in Barcelona, Spain.
Sergio is a rookie in the category and he will have the English driver Jordan King as a teammate. After two seasons in the Championship, King’s experience could be of great help to the Brazilian driver. Nevertheless, during practice, Sette Câmara showed that he is quite prepared and on several occasions was faster than his teammate.
The Dutch team MP Motorsport made its debut in GP2 in 2013 and in these four years has assisted several drivers in their development to reach the F-1. Despite not having had any victories in the category, The team’s drivers always stand out by achieving podium positions and scoring points. In addition, their engineers are renowned in the motorsports world and have worked with great drivers such as Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Räikkönen, Will Stevens, Paul Di Resta, Oliver Jarvis, Oliver Rowland, among others.
To be fully prepared for this great challenge, Sette Câmara also had several sessions in the simulator and trained a lot in the shifter kart. However, Sergio’s greatest commitment was to the physical and psychological part. He has been living for four years in the High Performance Training Centre in the outskirts of Barcelona (ESP), where the Brazilian driver goes through a daily series of physical and mental exercises whose sole purpose is to make him 100% prepared for the challenges of the races.
“I feel ready for the beginning of the season. I know I have a lot to learn, but I will keep my head up to face another step in my career. My initial challenge, of course, will be to prepare for the tests with only a 45-minute practice. After that we will always go to the qualifiers and two races. I count on the support of all my fans and they can be sure I will do my best to raise the name of our country. I have a competent team working with me and I want to get my space in the category, “said the 18-year-old driver.
Check out the full schedule of the weekend (Brasilia Time):
Friday (14)
05: 30h. at 06: 15h. – Free Practice
14:00 to 14:30 – Qualifier
Saturday (15)
07: 10h. – 08: 15h. – Race 1
Sunday (16)
08: 15h. – 09: 05h. – Race 2