Formula 2 is holding its first-ever round in Qatar this weekend, and drivers have found themselves acclimatising to weather that was colder and windier than expected. The top three drivers in F2’s qualifying session on Friday told Feeder Series about how the conditions have both helped and hindered them.

By Michael McClure

The conditions this year in Qatar are a stark contrast to the weather during last year’s event, at which F2 did not race.

On the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix weekend, held from 6 to 8 October, temperatures were searing, with highs recorded at 41ºC on Friday, 38ºC on Saturday and 40ºC on Sunday and drivers competing in only marginally cooler conditions.

Several of the participating F1 drivers complained of dehydration, with then-rookie Logan Sargeant having to retire on lap 40 of 57 after experiencing extreme dehydration and Esteban Ocon reportedly vomiting in his car.

This time around, the thermometer has not risen above 25 all weekend. Qualifying took place at 19:10 local with an air temperature of 18 degrees, and track temperatures during F2’s first night-time session of the weekend were only a few degrees warmer.

Night races are infrequent in F2, with only the first two rounds of the year, Bahrain and Jeddah, holding F2 sessions after dark.

Some drivers in qualifying were on an alternative run plan whereby they did multiple warm-up laps before setting a string of hot laps. This strategy focuses on generating heat in the tyres rather than on preserving them from degradation. In those cases, drivers tend to alternate push and cool laps.

ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins, who qualified third, said the outlaps on cold tyres were the hardest part of the session. 

“I was expecting for the out lap to be the most difficult, and that’s what happened,” he said. “It was a bit cold, but I was expecting it.”

Martins said he saw the temperatures drop significantly during the day on Thursday. That pattern is expected to continue both today and tomorrow, when F2 holds its two races.

“It’s just a bit surprising coming to Qatar to have this kind of condition, but in the end, we are prepared for it. We have some warmup procedures and we just need to stick with it,” Martins said.

“We have tools in the cars to deal with it and we all have the talents also to [get] the tyres in the window.”

“Everyone was training in the sauna,” added Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto, who qualified second. “Not me, but I saw some videos, people training there and expecting it to be super hot. Even I expected it, but then I arrive here and it’s very windy. That’s what makes it feel colder than 20 degrees. But it’s nice to drive in these conditions. it’s nice to drive in the night as well.”

Polesitter and newly announced 2025 Alpine reserve Paul Aron, who topped the session by 0.335 seconds, said the cooler-than-expected temperatures were ideal for him as a driver.

“It’s snowing in Estonia, and it’s freezing there!” the Hitech driver said with a smile.

“For me it’s been warm, but I guess when I arrived here, I think it was on Tuesday, that was the last really hot day and then the temperature dropped quite a lot, so obviously it’s been new. But I think everyone could see it coming from the forecast, and all of us were prepared.

“In the end, we’ve raced in much colder conditions, and it’s just about how you prepare the tyres. I’m sure the team have taken it into account on their side, so no big changes or anything like that.”

Aron suspected that the wind had contributed to drivers’ mistakes in the practice session held earlier that day. Luke Browning, John Bennett and Jak Crawford all had spins, with Browning and Crawford ending their sessions beached in the gravel.

“The wind was up to 35 kilometres per hour, the gusts, and it was mainly tailwind in the corners, so that’s what makes it difficult,” he said.

“Temperature-wise, for me, it’s a good, decent Estonian summer weather, so I’m all good with it. And actually, I really enjoy these night races. We don’t get many, and it’s always really, really cool driving under the lights, so I’m happy to take a few degrees lower temperatures to drive under the lights.

“This 20-degree range is probably the best range for the drivers. As you know, we are in suits, in the underwear, and in the helmet in the car, so it gets warmer. When it’s just slightly cold in normal clothes, it’s normally the perfect weather for us drivers in the car.”

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency