Sami Meguetounif stamped Trident’s name on Formula 2’s pre-season finale, scorching a 1:24.363 in Barcelona’s Day 3 afternoon to cap testing ahead of next month’s Round 1. ART’s Victor Martins owned the morning with a 1:24.673, but wet tracks and red flags turned the last day into a scrappy data grab—22 drivers, 22 agendas, one Frenchman on top.
The morning dawned damp—overnight rain left puddles, and Pirelli wets ruled early laps. DAMS’ Kush Maini triggered the first red flag, grinding to a halt at Turn 3. Meguetounif then flew to a 1:36.479—wet pace king—before parking his Trident at Turn 9 for red flag two. Rodin’s Christian Mansell snatched P1 with a 1:29.699 as the track dried, only for teammate Alexander Dunne to rip a 1:27.590 and take over. MP’s Richard Verschoor clocked a 1:27.013, but Van Amersfoort’s John Bennett edged him with a 1:26.311. DAMS duo Jak Crawford and Maini traded blows—Crawford’s 1:25.580 pipped Maini by 0.013s—until Martins dropped a 1:24.673 hammer with 20 minutes left. Mansell’s Turn 3 spin and Martins’ late gravel nap at Turn 5 sealed it—ART’s Frenchman led Miyata, Crawford, Maini, and Trident’s Max Esterson in the top five.
Afternoon flipped the script—Campos’ Arvid Lindblad set a 1:25.427 early, but Meguetounif’s 1:24.363 eclipsed it fast. Esterson’s Turn 9 spin waved the first red flag, then Bennett tagged the wall pre-final corner for number two. Goethe beached his MP at Turn 5 with half an hour to go, and Meguetounif himself slid into the gravel at the same spot late—four reds, no shake-ups. Dunne’s 1:25.048 and Lindblad’s 1:25.427 trailed, with Verschoor and Mansell rounding out the top five. Duerksen, Shields, Martí, Martins, and Esterson locked the ten—Minì’s 59 laps topped the day’s mileage.
Testing’s done—three days, six sessions, chaos aplenty. Martins nabbed Day 1’s wet morning and Day 3’s dry opener; Lindblad stole Day 1’s afternoon; Minì crushed Day 2’s morning; Goethe took its afternoon. Meguetounif’s final blast gave Trident the last word—Barcelona’s data haul’s in the bag, and Melbourne’s green light looms. F2’s 2025 grid is simmering—time to race.
