Red Bull Junior Driver Isack Hadjar said there’s “no time to rest” as the FIA Formula 2 Championship is amid its busiest period of the 2024 campaign.
This weekend’s Austrian round is the second leg of a triple-header that will be completed at Silverstone on July 5-7.
A two-week break ensues following the British round before back-to-back races at the Hungaroring and Spa-Francorchamps before the summer shutdown.
That will conclude a period of five rounds in six weeks that could redefine the championship battle and Hadjar, who currently sits second in the Drivers’ standings, spoke on how important this period of the season is.
“Yeah, I think it’s the most important phase of the championship,” the Red Bull Junior told media including Motorsport Week.
“After the triple header and the next doubleheader, I think we’re going to see who’s up there and who’s going to fight for the title, I believe.
“And yeah, obviously there’s no time to rest, so it’s about learning on the job, not to make mistakes on the upcoming weekends and try to maximize the package.
“There’s no more testing, so we have to make sure our baseline is great and do what we can with what we have.”
Hadjar noted that the ensuing run of races “are on tracks I really enjoy as well, so I’m really happy about the successive events.”
Hadjar has 91 points to his name after the opening six rounds of the season, just nine behind points leader Paul Aron.
Behind Hadjar the closest challenger is early season points leader Zane Maloney with 75 points to his name.
While some may argue that makes the title a two-horse race, Hadjar believes it’s far too early to tell at this point in the season.
“I mean, we’re not even halfway through the championship, and I don’t think there’s much of a gap with the rest,” he said.
“So it’s definitely not between Paul and I at the moment.”
Aron meanwhile noted that after this intense period of races there will be a clearer indication of who is in the title fight.
“We still have a long way to go,” the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver said.
“We’d say now the gap is basically one race win, which is starting to be already something.
“The big picture is it’s a bit too early to say still and I think the real reference point will be after this, after this triple header and then the doubleheader that follows basically straight up.
“You know, when we go into the summer break, we’ll have a good idea where everyone is.”
