DAMS’ Roman Bilinski and Van Amersfoort Racing’s Nico Varrone have had their share of ups and downs in the first half of their debut Formula 2 campaigns. Feeder Series spoke to both drivers about their main takeaways from the opening seven rounds and got their thoughts about the potential for rain this weekend at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. 

By Cliona Sheerin

Silverstone signalled the half-time whistle on the Argentine and Polish-British drivers’ debut campaigns in the championship. With two vastly different levels of experience in single-seaters prior to this year, both drivers have had their challenges in getting to grips with the Dallara F2 2024. 

DAMS’ Bilinski sits 16th in the standings having graduated to the championship after a single season of Formula 3. Despite his lowly championship position, he is currently on a streak of five points finishes in a row, dating back to the feature race in Barcelona. Only two drivers – the Campos Racing duo of Nikola Tsolov and Noel León – have scored on more occasions this season.

Bilinski also boasts a second-place finish in the sprint race in Monaco. His strongest point has been Saturday’s races, wherein he has earned 15 of his 22 championship points this season. 

“Strengths for us [have been] mainly the races,” Bilinski told Feeder Series in Thursday’s virtual media roundtable for F2. “We know we have a good race package at DAMS, and we really had to work on the quali, partly my side but also the team. I think that has shown quite well in the last few rounds.

“Barcelona [I] was on for an extremely solid lap until the red flag in the last corner, and also the last quali at Silverstone was strong. It’s now just piecing it all together and doing this more consistently throughout the season, which the last few rounds have shown we can do.”

Three places and eight points behind Bilinski in the drivers’ standings is fellow rookie Van Amersfoort Racing’s Nico Varrone, but he has had a markedly different path to his championship position. His best finish of fourth in the Miami sprint race is one of only two points scores for the Argentine driver so far this year, the other being a sixth place in the Montréal feature. 

“I knew it was going to be a difficult season,” Varrone said to Feeder Series. “I think we have [been] quite up and down. Starting with the Miami and Canada rounds which [were] quite good for me, those two races. It was a bit more even in the field – not everyone knew the track. I feel like there I was a bit stronger.

“Now coming into the European rounds, both the last two I struggled a bit more, maybe not being so familiar with the tracks and with this type of car. There, with the short time you have in F2, I struggled a bit more. I would like it to be more consistent from now on and to be in the points more often, but we are working towards that to make it happen.”

Before this season, Varrone last competed in formula racing in 2020 in an abortive British F3 campaign, and the only two tracks on which he has prior single-seater experience are Silverstone and Spa from his 2019 British F3 season. Since then, however, he has driven the 7.004-kilometre circuit on five occasions in GTs and hypercars, taking class podiums in the 6 Hours of Spa in 2023 and the 4 Hours of Spa in 2024. 

At present, forecasts suggest a threat of rain across the circuit on Friday, while the rest of the weekend is expected to be dry. Varrone knows all too well that the region’s micro-climate tends to defy predictions and traditional patterns. 

“Spa is a place where even if it says it doesn’t rain, you always have to take your umbrella because you never know what’s going to happen,” Varrone joked to Feeder Series. “As drivers we are prepared for both conditions. We have a lot of recent races where it rained quite a lot, quite heavy. The team has information, has been here for a while, so we cover all those aspects for this weekend and we are ready for whatever condition appears for us on the weekend.”

Bilinski, too, is prepared for all eventualities. Despite having limited competitive experience of the F2 car in the wet – coming solely from the damp Montréal feature race –  he views the potential challenge as another opportunity to learn.

“From now to getting in the car doesn’t change so much because we will be fully prepared for [rain],” Bilinski told Feeder Series. “But back at the factory, you’re looking over past races in the wet, learning what some drivers did well, what drivers could do better. And also from myself, past experience being here, looking at the notes that I have. Of course, we don’t really have the simulator for the wet, but it’s more trying to have that feeling and learning from years before with video.

“From my side I think it would be a bit more tricky purely because I haven’t driven this car at all in the wet. The Miami feature race that was in the wet, I didn’t even start it. So it will be a bit more learning from my side, but I love that and I’m ready to take on that challenge.”

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency