Now entering his second year in the FIA Formula 2 with AIX Racing, Cian Shields finds himself in a different position within the team — this time as the experienced driver in the line-up. After a rookie campaign that demanded rapid adaptation, Shields heads into his 2026 F2 season carrying greater responsibility, increased familiarity with the championship, and a clear focus on improvement.
During a virtual media conference attended by Pit Debrief, Shields spoke about the transition, his development over the past year, and the key areas targeted over the winter.
Stepping into the experienced role
Asked about the transition from rookie to the more senior figure in the team for his 2026 F2 campaign and about working alongside new teammate Emerson Fittipaldi Jr — Shields reflected on the change.
“Yeah, for sure, it’s been very good. Obviously, we’ve done the Abu Dhabi postseason test, which he also participated in, but I think he’s getting along quite well,” he said.
“It’s my first time ever being, as you said, the experienced driver on the team so far. Every category I’ve raced in, I’ve only done one year, so I’ve always had someone with more experience on the team.”
Despite the added expectation, Shields views the shift as a positive step.
“But overall, I think it should be good. Obviously, it’s a bit more, you feel a bit more weight on your shoulders to deliver to the team. And obviously, having already done a year, it’s definitely a big help going into the season, but no, it should be good.”
Overall growth rather than one specific gain
Following his rookie season, one he previously described as a steep learning curve, Shields was asked by Pit Debrief where he felt he had made the most technical progress heading into his 2026 F2 campaign.
Rather than pinpointing one specific area, he emphasised the value of experience.
“Specifically, I don’t really know. I think it’s more kind of overall, I think, the kind of obviously the more days and the more laps you do in the car, everything becomes a bit more natural,” he explained.
“Whereas in the rookie year, you kind of arrive at tracks that you’ve never driven at and stuff like that. So it makes everything a bit tougher.”
With one full season completed, that uncertainty has reduced heading into his 2026 F2 season.
“But obviously going into this year, I’ve done all the tracks, obviously, apart from Madrid, but that shouldn’t be too big an issue. Yeah, I think specifically not so much just kind of an overall having a bit more understanding of the car and getting to know the team a bit better.”
Winter focus on Qualifying pace
Qualifying proved to be one of the main challenges during Shields’ rookie campaign, despite improvements in race pace. Over the winter, that became the central focus.
“Yeah, well, that’s kind of we’ve had quite an extensive winter programme with pretty much fully focused on that side of the weekend qualifying,” he said.
“As you said, the race pace improved and the race pace hasn’t really been an issue. Even in the postseason testing we’ve done, it’s also been a big improvement.”
Instead, preparation has centred on maximising performance over a single lap.
“So yeah, I think over the whole winter, we’ve kind of obviously been doing some days in the old car and everything has been pretty much focused on the qualifying pace and the one lap outright pace. So yeah, for sure, it’s definitely been a focus that we’ve worked on and I think we’ve made pretty big improvements to go into this year.”
With experience, stability and a targeted winter programme behind him, Shields heads into the 2026 F2 season aiming to translate stronger Fridays into stronger results.
