Jak Crawford is determined to bounce back after a challenging weekend at the Belgian GP. The upcoming F2 Hungarian GP marks Crawford’s final shot at scoring crucial points before the summer break, with only four rounds remaining once the grid returns.
He arrived at Spa riding high from a Feature Race win at Silverstone and holding P2 in the championship. However, a tough weekend saw him lose ground to title rival Leonardo Fornaroli, dropping him to P3 in the Drivers’ Standings.
Despite the setback, the American is eager to return to form in Budapest and remains confident he can be competitive this weekend.
“I’m looking forward to it for sure. I think rain or shine, we have a good chance to be competitive.”
Reflection on a challenging Spa weekend
The team had secured 4 wins in the past 5 rounds heading to Belgium, but the Qualifying session on Friday left Crawford and team mate Kush Maini in P14 and P20 for both races.
In the Sprint Race, Crawford was caught in an incident at La Source and forced into the gravel. Despite sustaining damage to his car, he managed to carry on and salvaged a point with a P10 finish. The Feature Race, however, proved more difficult for both Dams Lucas Oil drivers, as overheating rear tyres hampered their pace and limited overall performance.
“Spa was not a good weekend, but we feel like we know why, so at least that’s good. It’s not too much of an issue, going into this weekend, looking forward to putting more points on the board.”
“I feel like Spa was a tough one. It kind of worked in a way that it didn’t fall our way and we didn’t have the pace. It’s a shame but I don’t think it really affects the long term. It’s been quite easy to continue back the way we are going.”
What to expect in Budapest
The F2 Hungarian GP marks Round 10 of the 2025 F2 Championship, where Crawford gave a summary of what can be expected from the weekend. The Hungaroring features low, medium, and high speed corners and has high demands on the tyres. Qualifying will be difficult for the drivers to set up, as the track is quite short and trying to get a gap within drivers on track will be challenging.
“I think just the technicality of the circuit, you have to set up the car well for the circuit. There are lot of corners, and a lot of different types of corners as well, so finding the right setup can be the key to getting around here.”
“In Qualifying everyone is going to try to get as much clear track as possible, and the track is not quite big enough. It’s a very short track and everyone is trying to get a four or five second gap to the car in front.”
The competitive nature of the entire 2025 F2 Drivers
Only 12 points separate the top five drivers heading into the F2 Hungarian GP. Fornaroli leads the pack with 125 points, followed by Verschoor on 122 and Crawford close behind on 116. Crawford is well aware of the fierce competition, with positions constantly shifting as drivers fight for every point from weekend to weekend.
“I know who I am racing. I’ve been racing the same guys all year anyway. I feel like I qualify around the same guys, I race against the same guys, I’m on the podium with the same guys.”
“So I feel like at the moment we are just matching each other, going back and forth. So watching what the other is doing, but at the same time focusing on myself and make sure we stay as consistent as possible and do our jobs, and the rest will come with it.”
Crawford is optimistic that a win this weekend in Budapest could catapult him to the top of the standings heading into the summer break. The American believes it’s always better to lead the pack than chase from behind, and a strong result at the F2 Hungarian GP would give him that upper hand.
“It would be great to win here and go into the summer break with a win under our belts and with the Championship lead as well with that, that’s the goal.”
“It’s always better to be in front than behind, so I am looking forward to this weekend to get that win to go into the bigger break on a high.”
