DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford returned to the top three after a decent Qualifying session at the F2 Hungarian GP. After a tough weekend at Spa, the American has bounced back to secure a P3 start for Sunday’s Feature Race. Crawford, who currently sits P3 in the Drivers’ Standings, is just 9 points shy from claiming the lead of the championship. As the title fight continues to intensify, the 20 year-old will be hoping to claim his sixth podium-finish of the season.
During the post-Qualifying Press Conference, Pit Debrief was in attendance alongside other media outlets as Crawford reflected on his challenging Friday at the F2 Hungarian GP.
Bouncing back from disappointing round at Spa
At Spa, the American walked away from the weekend having scored no points. A stark contrast from just a week ago, Crawford expressed his relief whilst describing his lap that landed him a P3 finish. After a tough start to the day—having struggled in Practice—the American believed his lap was even better than his pole lap in Jeddah.
“Yeah, this one feels really good. I mean, it feels better than the whole lap I did in Jeddah, in terms of the lap it was and the performance, not only last week but also through the day, which was looking quite rough through the whole day. So, yeah, this is a great result.”
Despite sitting low down the order after his first run, Crawford delivered a near-perfect lap to jump to P2 before he was forced to settle with P3—once Invicta Racing’s Leonardo Fornaroli catapulted to the top and replaced him. Overcoming the challenges, the American was thrilled with the results he achieved and remains confident in his race pace.
“We struggled all day. I was down in, I think, 17th after the first run and put absolutely everything together. And I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw I was second across the line and then obviously third when Leo [Fornaroli] won at the end. So, yeah, great result, super happy with it because I know we’ll be strong in the race.”
Wrong setup direction in Spa
When asked about what went wrong in Spa, Crawford simply explained it was due to the wrong setup direction they took. However, after reflecting on what went wrong, the American and DAMS were able to identify the key issues behind their setback.
Crawford said: “Yeah, I think we just missed the setup. I think it’s quite simple. We were good in practice.”
“We thought we were making the right changes and they went the wrong direction for qualifying. And then the races, we were just not good at crash and then quite poor pace in the wet, which we think we have a good idea why.”
Strategy masterclass needed on Sunday
On a track known for its difficult overtaking, Crawford believes it will be a strategy race on Sunday. With 37 laps ahead of them, tyre degradation will play a crucial role in how their races unfold.
“Yeah, I think just a smart race and a good strategy. I feel like the race is very, very long here. And yeah, it’s a lot of tyre [degradation]. Of course, it’s tricky to pass here, so it’s going to come down to a bit of strategy.”
Handling disappointments as a veteran
“Yeah, it is. It’s tough.”, Crawford candidly admitted.
Reflecting on the challenges of F2, he noted that how a small mistake can derail an entire weekend. With every track being so different, the American knows its important to put all the pieces together when it matters. Drawing to a similar situation he faced in Jeddah, Crawford was never doubtful in his abilities to bounce back from minor setbacks.
“I’ve had two of these weekends now. Bahrain was very, very similar to Jeddah, and we were able to bounce back well. I think the thing about F2 is that every track is so different and, of course, it’s always so close that you could just be missing one small thing that puts you outside the top ten and your weekend’s over.”
With two full seasons under his belt, Crawford has learnt to move past disappointments quickly. Especially with back-to-back races, the 20 year-old emphasised on the importance of moving forwards without dwelling on the past, but only looking back if necessary.
“That’s what happened in Bahrain, and that’s what happened in Spa. I feel like you just need to look past it, especially if it’s one of these double-header weekends where the next race is right ahead and you just have to prepare for it in a completely different way. So I feel like you’ve done a great job to look past the bad until you feel like you need to look back at it and make adjustments.”
Navigating tyre management will be a concern
When asked about the issues with tyre management during the session, Crawford noted that the Hungaroring is one of the tougher tracks, especially with the expected heat.
“Yeah, it’s one of the tougher tracks. It’s going to be quite hot tomorrow. But yeah, the pre-practice, it seemed like the medium was holding up pretty good.”
While the medium compound tyres to have held on, tyre degradation across long-runs remains unknown to Crawford. Noting that while some drivers may struggle whilst others find pace, the American anticipates the race will come down to managing tyre degradation.
“I didn’t do any consecutive laps either. Yeah, this track is always kind of one where it’s a bit of a slow burner until the last five laps when there’s a lot of people or some people falling off with major [degradation] and some people are very fast at the end.”
“We’ll see. Of course, I think people just try to save their tyres as efficiently as possible to be there.”
P3 was the best he could achieve today
When Pit Debrief asked Crawford if there was anything more he could’ve done today, he simply denied. The 20 year-old explained that there was nothing more in the bag. Crawford called it one of the best laps he’s ever done in the series. He acknowledged that there’s still room for improvement. However, with focus now turning to both races, he found it interesting that there’s wasn’t much more he could’ve done today.
“I know where I got it between the two runs, but honestly, I don’t think I can find any more time. I mean, my lap was… I honestly think it’s one of the best laps I’ve done in Formula 2.”
“So I’m sure we have some work to do in the car, but I don’t know what it is exactly. Yeah. Obviously, we probably won’t look into it after the weekend because now we need to focus on the race. But yeah, it was interesting to see that.”
Track-record at Budapest is about to change
Noting that he’s never stood on the podium at the Hungaroring, Crawford admitted that he hasn’t had the best track record around here. Putting this down to his poor Qualifying sessions in the past, he explained that a potential reason for that was due to the lack of understanding behind tyre preparation.
“Yeah, I was actually talking about this the other day. It’s the only track in any category I’ve never been on the podium on, on the calendar. So I was like, I was thinking about it the other day. Which is bugging me a little bit. But yeah, I don’t know why.”
“To be honest, it just feels like there’s a big emphasis on Qualifying. And I’ve had two really bad Qualifying. And that’s it. I think the reasons were more down to tyre preparation side. I’m not fully understanding that.”
Headed into Feature Race, Crawford described how this result has fuelled him with confidence for a potential podium on Sunday. Having understood what went wrong last year, the American remains confident in their abilities to secure a well-deserved first F2 points around the Hungaroring.
“But I think now it would be great to prepare for this race. And understand where we went wrong last year with the team. And I feel like we’re good. So yeah, it gives me good confidence that I’m up there. And even those qualifying where I started in the back, I was always fighting my way through the field quite a lot. Never quite enough for the points. But we still had a great race.”
However, later today, Crawford will line up P8 for today’s Sprint Race and would hope to secure valuable point to close his gap to Fornaroli.
