Formula 2: SPA
Drivers Roman Bilinski (DAMS Lucas Oil) and Nico Varrone (VAR) spoke to media on Thursday ahead of the Spa-Francorchamps round, reflecting on their rookie campaigns so far, the unique challenge the Belgian circuit presents and their goals for the remainder of the season.
BILINSKI: PIECING IT ALL TOGETHER
Bilinski credited racing on more familiar circuits as part of his recent upturn in form but highlighted that the season had actually started strongly before mechanical issues, including a missed round in Miami, disrupted his momentum. "The last few rounds have been very strong from my side at least, and hopefully we can keep working in this direction," he said, citing consistency as the main target heading into the second half of the season.
Assessing his rookie campaign so far, Bilinski pointed to race pace as DAMS's clear strength, with qualifying as the area he and the team have worked hardest to refine. He recalled a strong lap in Barcelona that was cut short by a late red flag, and a solid qualifying session at Silverstone, as evidence to that progress: "I think it's now just piecing it all together and doing this more consistently throughout the season." When asked about the biggest adjustment as he stepped up from F3, Bilinski didn't dive into specifics, saying only that F2 demands a deeper technical understanding, particularly around tyre compounds and pit stops, and that getting on top of those aspects early on in the season had been crucial.
On Spa, Bilinski called it a historic track "all the drivers love coming back to and a dream to race," highlighting the variety of challenges the circuit offers, from different speed corners to the lack of run-off, and the unpredictable weather as defining features: "It's straight to gravel, which personally I quite like. It's a bit more old school." When asked about the biggest misconception fans have about the circuit, he cited the elevation change as the main one, “When you're at turn five and you're looking down and you can see turn one all the way on the other side of the track you see how different the elevation is, it's absolutely crazy”.
Reflecting on his maiden podium at Monaco, Bilinski said "it's a fantastic feeling" highlighting the added significance of a historical feat; becoming the first Polish driver to stand on the steps of a Formula 2 podium. He also spoke about the positive influence of teammate Dino Beganovic, praising the more experienced Ferrari junior and crediting him with helping accelerate his learning: "There's rookies, and then there's rookies... having someone like that to learn from is extremely important." On the possibility of a shortened calendar due to instability in the Middle East, Bilinski named Imola and Mugello as circuits he'd love to see added, while stressing he felt fortunate to be racing in F2 regardless of where, and hopes the conflict in the Middle East gets resolved.
VARRONE: A FIGHT TO CLOSE THE GAP AFTER SEVEN YEARS AWAY FROM SINGLE-SEATERS
Varrone described his rookie season as "quite up and down" so far. He said the opening rounds in Miami and Canada suited him better, given the leveler of a brand-new car on unfamiliar tracks, but admitted the more recent European rounds, on circuits he hadn't driven a single-seater on in years, had proven harder: "Coming into the European rounds, mostly I would say the last two I struggled a bit more."
Asked about his history at Spa, having last raced there in a Hypercar and before that a single-seater back in 2019's British F3 series, Varrone said the circuit knowledge helps, though the goal remains transforming every bit of knowledge and experience into the strongest qualifying result possible. On the scale of the adjustment from sports cars to F2, he pointed to braking style and lap-time extraction as the areas he's worked hardest to adapt to, something he said has been going well recently. The toughest part, he added, is the limited track time available to translate that experience into tangible results: "You're driving completely different... to being able to adapt all that experience in really like 10 laps that you have summing up free practice and qualifying, that's what's been the most difficult for me."
On what makes Spa special, Varrone pointed to its high-speed sections, saying extracting everything from the car through them during a fast lap is the most enjoyable part.
He spoke at length about the support he's received from Argentinian fans since making this defining move in his racing career, noting the added visibility of an F2 weekend, and said continuing to combine sports car racing with F2, including a recent outing in São Paulo, remains a big source of motivation: "Endurance racing gave me a racing career... it's really motivating because I'm able to do both."
Asked how he stays mentally consistent through a tumultuous season, Varrone explained that holding onto the good while letting go of the bad quickly helps him stay motivated heading into the next round.
On which circuit he'd want added to the calendar if Middle East instability forced a schedule change, Varrone named Abu Dhabi and Qatar as two of his favorites, citing his past experience racing there in WEC and Asian Le Mans, adding that growing up watching Abu Dhabi host F1 season finales made the circuit special to him.
When asked about his relationship with teammate Rafael Villagómez, Varrone emphasized his teammate’s experience and openness as an important step in easing his integration into the team and the overall atmosphere of F2: "We are also really open on what we are doing inside the car and out of the car." Varrone also acknowledged the speculations about his future in F2 beyond the 2026 season, saying that it’s too early to say anything and that his focus is fully directed at delivering results. And Lastly, when asked about misconceptions surrounding the Belgian circuit, he agreed with Bilinski's point on elevation, saying the steepness of Eau Rouge is impossible to fully appreciate from a television broadcast.
