Formula 2 News: Goethe again fastest in PM, Herta drops to 17th in Abu Dhabi test

The floodlights were still off, the track still baking, and the afternoon session kicked off under a lazy Abu Dhabi sun. Almost immediately Rodin Motorsport picked up where they left off in the morning: Alex Dunne threw down a 1m39.005s, Martinius Stenshorne 0.234 s behind. Rodin 1-2, déjà vu complete.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

For the first hour it was mostly race-start practice and pit-stop drills. Rookies hit their marks, clutches smoked, and the timing screen barely moved. Colton Herta told reporters he was “still pretty far from super comfortable,” while F3 champion Rafael Câmara grinned his way through his first proper F2 laps on new tyres with no carry-over sets to nurse.

Then the pace started creeping up.

Sérgio Câmara, fresh Mediums bolted on at Invicta, suddenly jumped to P1 with a 1m38.425s, 0.244 s clear of Dunne. Kush Maini slotted ART into second, 0.177 s off the lead, and the French team allowed themselves a small fist-pump.

A brief red flag interrupted the rhythm – Ritomo Miyata stopped at Turn 5, climbed out unhurt, and the session resumed without drama.

With ninety minutes left, the serious rubber started appearing. Joshua Duerksen and Câmara both took new Supersofts and turned Invicta into a 1-2, Duerksen briefly on top before Câmara reclaimed the lead by 0.129 s.

Noel León thought he’d stolen the day with a 1m37.819s on Supersofts – fastest lap so far – only to watch the benchmark tumble almost immediately.

The final half-hour turned into chaos. Fresh Supersofts everywhere. Hitech sent Colton Herta out, ART rolled the dice on new Mediums, and the Invicta duo fired again. Duerksen struck first with a 1m37.290s, Câmara answered 0.083 s slower, then Oliver Goethe – quiet for most of the afternoon – launched a lap that silenced the pit wall: 1m37.203s.

Câmara tried to respond, missed by 0.066 s. Mari Boya, almost forgotten in the PREMA, suddenly bolted into fifth with a 1m37.705s.

Checkered flag.

“It was all about getting comfortable, and I am still pretty far from being super comfortable in the car. It’s good first steps, it’s such an important three days for us, it’s important to maximize everything that we do here. It’s fun to be here, fun to be in a car in the offseason, and I am looking forward to the next two days.” – Colton Herta, Hitech TGR.

Oliver Goethe ends Day 1 on top, Sérgio Câmara second, Duerksen third, Minì fourth, Boya fifth.

Afternoon Times