IndyCar: Calderon rejoins F2 after aborted IndyCar effort

Tatiana Calderón returned to FIA Formula 2 for the first time since 2019, joining the Charouz Racing System team in Spa-Francorchamps, and she picked up where she left off in IndyCar – at the back of the grid.

The Colombian driver had been competing in the NTT IndyCar Series, but her season was cut short, leaving her without a drive. In the week leading up to the Belgian Grand Prix Calderón announced that she would be rejoining the grid for the four remaining rounds of the 2022 F2 season.

Friday saw the action kick off and Calderón completed a trouble-free practice, despite a number of red flags throughout the session. While the session was shortened, she managed to adjust to the 18-inch wheels, with this weekend being the first time she had driven the car with the new wheels.

Qualifying saw her struggle on soft compound tires at the start of the session along with having to abort a fast lap. The result saw her line up on the grid in twenty-first for both races.

With Jehan Daravala unable to take the start of the sprint race, Calderón gained a position before the lights had gone out. Off of the line she battled with Juri Vips and Amaury Cordeel, this would set the tone for the race as Cordeel fought back. Calderón crossed the line in twentieth place before being promoted to nineteenth after Lirim Zendeli picked up a five-second time penalty.

“Overall I’m super happy to be back in F2, thanks again to Karol G, to AVL and to everyone that has supported me to make this return possible. After a couple of months in a difficult situation in IndyCar, it was great to be back racing, even if it was very clear that this was set to be a challenging weekend.

“It was my first time with the 18-inch tires, this car and also with the team in a long while. I think we did a decent job and I learned a lot during both races. We had a bit of degradation on the rear tires, more than what we were expecting. But we had good pace at times compared to my teammate Enzo, so that’s encouraging looking ahead to the next two rounds.

“I want to thank the team for their warm welcome – Spa is always a special place in many ways for me so I’m happy to be back and looking forward to the next two weekends.“