For PREMA Racing’s Mari Boya, Thursday around the streets of Baku proved successful, with the Spaniard securing his best F2 Qualifying results of the year by finishing sixth and fourth in the first and second sessions, respectively.
A 1:54.365 in Q2 secured Boya a second-row start for Saturday’s Feature Race 2. On top of that, set to start fifth in tomorrow’s Sprint Race and sixth in the first of two Feature Races, the Spaniard is in a strong position to challenge for a solid points haul across the weekend as he looks to turn around a disappointing rookie season.
A long-awaited and deserved top ten finish in Qualifying
Reflecting on his session, Boya said: “I’m feeling super good. It’s a feeling I would say I forgot about. But I think there’s still something in there. I needed this result, it’s my first time in Baku and I think the momentum from Madrid is helping, but as I said, we’ve had a lot of transition in the team.”
“For a driver, it’s tough because you need to adapt to the category but now we’re pushing a lot, and every week we are improving.”
“I felt we deserved a top ten in qualifying, maybe two rounds earlier. Even with bad luck, we were fighting here, and I think we proved we can be at the front. Being alone on a track without much slipstream, I feel even better.”
However, Boya found satisfaction in seeing the team’s hard work behind the scenes begin to pay off, while also crediting the improved working environment in allowing him to thrive as a driver.
“And also around a super technical track, and again, it’s new for me. It’s something I’m really proud of. There’s a lot of work behind the scenes and now it’s starting to pay off. I’m the same guy from the beginning of the season, simply with a better environment around me.”
Boya praises PREMA for a well-executed session
Although Boya walked away with mixed feelings after believing they had the potential to fight for the top three, he expressed his gratitude and praised the team’s efforts in navigating and executing both sessions.
“It was really important to execute the plan you had in mind with your team and just focus on that. There are so many things that can happen during a session, and you just need to do what you want to do the best you can. And I think it’s what we did.”
“We had a good conversation with the team and radio messages and they made good calls, and I think it was well executed. It was a good call for the second set and even going alone we did the lap time, so I’m happy with it.”
He added: “It’s also strange asking for a pole or maybe wanting a pole because I’ve never been in the top 10 this season. But, I’m really optimistic and I think P2 was more than possible. Still, I’m happy and I will take it, it’s a good position to start both races.”
PREMA still has “few bits” to improve ahead of tomorrow’s races
While their competitiveness today marked a solid start to the weekend, the Spaniard acknowledged that they still have areas to improve ahead of the three races.
“There’s still things to work on.”, he said. “When you are more within the window in the car, it’s even easier to identify where you need the last bits to make progress. When you are lost, it’s difficult to identify the main issue and then work.”
“I feel there are still a few bits that we can improve, being in the top five and having things to improve feels amazing. Something new for me this year.”
Sitting 21st in the F2 Drivers’ Standings with 13 points, Boya has a chance to add to his tally during this expanded Baku round and move up the standings as the championship enters its final stretch.
