JOHN BENNETT COMPLETES TRIPLE-HEADER WITH BATTLE IN BARCELONA

Rising single-seater star John Bennett completed the third consecutive weekend of an intense European triple-header as the sixth round of the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship took place in Barcelona this weekend (31 May / 01 June).

The Salisbury-based racer headed to Spain with the Van Amersfoort Racing team hopeful of a competitive performance after narrowly missing out on points at Monaco a week prior and previously being unlucky not to be rewarded with a similar top-10 finish in a strategy-fueled visit to Imola.

Bennett - backed by partners Pangea Insurance, StreetSharp Ltd, Lonetree Limited and Lewco Holdings Limited - on this occasion had the luxury of returning to a track he has previously tested at during pre-season, the 2.89-mile Circuit de Catalunya.

After a learning free practice session on Friday morning, the serious job came in qualifying as the GB3 vice champion aimed to push for a top-10 place on the grids for the weekend's two races. The VAR driver was rapid throughout the session, and came to almost within a second of the pole time as the final runs cycled through on fresher tyres. Despite his strong pace, the session times were incredibly tight, meaning it felt somewhat surprising to see both he and his team-mate fill the 11th row of the grid - despite being only 0.5s away from a Sprint Race pole position.

Putting that behind him, Bennett shifted focus to that first race on Saturday afternoon. An excellent start looked set to ignite a recovery drive as Bennett burst away from the grid to make two positions by the first corner, and he sent an attack up the inside of both Victor Martins and Gabriele Mini into Turn 3 in a bid to climb up the order even further. The battle continued for several corners, until contact with Martins between Turns 6 & 7 spat Bennett off to the side of the circuit, causing terminal car damage that forced a disappointing retirement in a race where strategy was set to play into his favour.

The BRDC Rising Star soon shifted his attentions to the longer 37-lap Feature Race on Sunday morning, hopeful of charging through the field once more. A solid getaway once more gave him the chance to gain a place immediately heading into the first corner, and he continued to move up the order by gaining a further place to close onto the tail of Martins. Once again, contact between the two took place when the latter squeezed Bennett out at the same chicane they tangled at in the Sprint contest, but both survived and Bennett soon switched to a fresher set of hard tyres.

His pace remained consistent throughout the race, and he almost snatched the place from Max Esterson as he chased the American for much of the encounter. Moving clear of two of his competitors thanks to a stronger strategy and putting a pass on Leonardo Fornaroli, it meant that Bennett had climbed to P18 by the time he saw the chequered flag - the race finishing under safety car conditions.

John Bennett: "It was a frustrating weekend for us after we recovered so well at Monaco, and it all stemmed back to qualifying really. It felt somewhat unjust that we were down where we were considering how small the gap to the front was.

"The first race looked like it was going to plan. We made a fast start and went on the attack, but then I got contact from Martins at the chicane that put us off the track and unfortunately out of the race. It was a shame because we could easily have had a great result with the safety car later in that race - as our team strategy proved with the other car.

"Then on Sunday we had a good race and kept a consistent pace despite the contact again with Victor damaging the front wing. It's been an incredibly busy period for us, and I want to thank all of my sponsors and the team for their support. We're gaining experience every time, and I think with the likes of Austria and Silverstone to come soon there's a lot to be excited about."

The European run continues for Bennett later this month when the FIA Formula 2 Championship heads to Austria's Red Bull Ring over the weekend of 27-29 June.

Images from James Gasperotti.