Written by Ellie Nicholls
Ahead of this week’s Formula Two action, 2024 rookies Ritomo Miyata and Joshua Dürksen reflected on their performance this year so far, and shared their thoughts with DIVEBOMB about taking on the iconic Temple of Speed this weekend.
Reflecting on their rookie campaigns:
Dürksen was one of two rookies to jump up straight from FRECA to Formula Two this season, forgoing Formula Three entirely. Despite the challenge of doing so, he has delivered some strong performances across the year- including a maiden podium in the feature race at Imola.
‘Getting a podium, some points already in the races, some good qualifying- this is what feels really positive.’ shared Dürksen, pleased with his performance so far in 2024 but still searching to improve upon it. ‘Of course, I want a lot more. I want to be in the top ten, later on the top five- and then why not drive for the championship?’
Meanwhile for Miyata, the step up to Formula Two was an even greater challenge. 2024 was not only his first year of Formula Two, but also his first time competing in any European championship, having raced only in Japan-based series throughout his single seater career.
The challenge of adapting to the Formula Two car as well as the unfamiliar Pirelli tyres and the completely new European circuits has resulted in a tough rookie season for the Japanese driver. Despite this, Miyata shared that driving in Europe is a ‘dream come true’, and that he feels his performance is continuing to improve as the season progresses.
‘I’m still learning how to use the Pirelli tyre, like how to warm up the tyres.’ Miyata told DIVEBOMB. ‘This weekend, I think the medium and the supersofts [are in use], but last weekend it was the medium and the soft. It is really difficult, but I think my race performance is going to improve.’
Setting expectations for the weekend:
Both drivers will be targeting top ten finishes in Monza with hopes to bring home a good points haul. Miyata currently sits 18th in the standings and Dürksen 19th - but a strong weekend for either driver could see them climb several places in the championship.
‘I want to get top ten in quali, because if I can do that, I can get a good start from the grid in both races,’ explained Miyata, ‘so - top ten in quali, then points in both races.’
The Rodin Motorsport driver, having never raced at Monza before, may find this weekend slightly more challenging than others on the grid- but has said he is still really excited to take on the challenge of the Temple of Speed.
Unlike Miyata, Dürksen has a wide range of experience racing at Monza across various series, having driven at the circuit almost every year during the course of his driving career- and plans to make the most of his knowledge to put in a good performance this weekend.
The AIX driver, too, explained that his target this weekend is to qualify in the top ten, and shared that he has confidence in his team to bring home a good result.
‘I think we’re capable of [finishing in the top ten]. Let’s see- in Monza, anything can happen as you know.’
Secrets to success at the Temple of Speed
One thing for which Monza is infamous is the pure chaos of qualifying, as many drivers flock to the relatively short track in the final few minutes, aiming to put themselves in the best position possible for their flying lap.
‘I think [traffic and position during qualifying] will be a really big thing this weekend, like always. Monza is known for this slipstream and traffic management, and this of course will be really difficult.’ Dürksen explained. ‘If you try to fight for the slipstream, you have a big chance of doing a good lap, but also a big chance of getting traffic, or of something going wrong.’
Despite Formula Two having fewer cars on the road than other junior series - such as Formula Three, which has 30 cars compared to 22 in Formula Two - both Dürksen and Miyata emphasised how significant an impact traffic can have upon a driver’s qualifying performance.
‘The last ten minutes [of qualifying] look like chaos,’ expressed Miyata, ‘with everyone wanting to get a good result.’
Other than the importance of a smooth qualifying, Dürksen also highlighted his focus on control and awareness this weekend in order to avoid any potential race-ending incidents.
‘Monza is a track where we can have many safety cars, we can have many crashes. It’s important to find a balance of being aggressive and also being smart. It’s really easy to make mistakes here, so I think [avoiding those] is key to a good weekend.’
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