Pepe Marti will be looking to reignite his Formula 2 campaign next time out in Qatar after a difficult season for the Spaniard.
The Red Bull junior started admirably at the season opener, standing on the podium twice at the Bahrain International Circuit for Campos.
Marti took third place in the opening race of the weekend in Sakhir, before driving to second behind Zane Maloney in the Feature Race on his Formula 2 debut.
Despite the superb start, Marti has struggled over the season and suffered a double retirement at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
The next round in Qatar will provide some unique challenges as Formula 2 is racing at the Lusail International Circuit for the first time.
Marti explained to the official F2 website that it will be very important to hit the ground running in Qatar as the field learns the circuit.
Pepe Marti pinpoints qualifying as being ‘very important’ in Qatar
The Lusail International Circuit is made up of a lot of high-speed turns, which will be very physically demanding for the drivers.
There are also very few straights in the middle sector, making the lap very tricky for the driver and for tyre management over a race distance.
Qualifying is very important in Formula 2, particularly to be in the top 10, which is reversed for the Sprint Race on Saturday.
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It can be difficult to overtake, and Marti explained qualifying will be very important despite a very long pit straight with a DRS zone.
He said: “I feel like Qualifying is going to be very important. We know there will be few chances other than T1 with the long straight for overtaking, even with the DRS effect.
“We are still on the tippy toes of knowing what racing is going to be like, so being in a good spot after Friday is going to be very critical for the weekend.”
There are very few opportunities to overtake at Lusail International Circuit
The Lusail International Circuit is one of the faster tracks on the calendar, and the multitude of high-speed turns can make it difficult to pass.
Turn 1 is slightly banked, which opens up multiple lines, and it will likely be the best chance for drivers to overtake after the pit straight. There are also some unknowns in Qatar like the kerb heights, which Rafael Villagomez is wary of.
Further around the lap, Turn 6 may provide some overtaking in Formula 2 although there is no data on F2 cars at the track.
This may make qualifying very important, which puts pressure on the drivers to deliver over a single lap and take the two championship points on offer for pole position.