Parthiva back in Formula 2

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Chennai racer Parthiva Sureshwaren has set his eyes on regular podium finishes as he signed up for his third season at FIA Formula Two championship.

The 2012 F2 championship offers a Williams F1 test drive for the champion, together with GP2 tests for the second and third placed drivers. In addition, Parthiva has also further strengthened his partnership with leading global telecom provider Lycamobile, who will continue to support the Indian.

Parthiva, who will be the only Indian driver on the F2 grid this year after Armaan Ebrahim’s graduation to IndyLights, is keen to use his experience gained in the last two years to be a regular finisher in the points.

“I feel confident heading into this season as I have a better understanding of the car and am better prepared for it. It’s is an important year for me so will work hard to achieve the best possible result. My aim this season is to improve my overall performance by regularly finishing in the points and score some podium finishes,” he added.

“We will be going to some new circuits this year which is very exciting, especially the Hungaroring in Budapest. I have always been a big fan of this circuit and it will be great to drive an F2 car for the first time there. Most importantly I would like to thank my partner Lycamobile who is helping me make all of this possible,” said Parthiva.

This year the FIA Formula Two Championship has announced a host of enhancements with most significant changes to the 2012-spec F2 car. The championship’s expert engineers have developed a performance upgrade package which centres on new tyres Yokohama, as well as new carbon composite brakes that will see it lap around two seconds faster than the previous F2 machine.

“From a driver's perspective all these enhancements will definitely improve the performance of the F2 car and make it even more exciting for the motorsport fans. The Yokohoma tyres will be a great addition to the championship and will put all drivers on a level playing field. I am confident that we will have another competitive season this time around,” Parthiva said.

Jonathan Palmer, Formula Two Chief Executive, says Parthiva is capable of scoring podiums.
The Chennai-born driver joined F2 in 2010, and after a decent start at Silverstone and Marrakech he scored his best result of the year at Monza, finishing 10th in race two to earn his maiden points finish. He went on to challenge for the points on several other occasions, notably finishing 12th at Zolder and 11th at Portimão.

The 2012 Formula Two season will also feature an F1-circuit dominated calendar visiting eight different circuits (16 races) including legendary tracks such as Silverstone in England, Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, Italy's Monza and, for the first time, the Hungaroring near Budapest.