Shwartzman "super sad" after difficult start to F2 campaign
Ferrari junior Robert Shwartzman was left "super sad" after a challenging start to his FIA Formula 2 Championship campaign in Bahrain.

The Prema Racing driver headed into last weekend's season opener tipped as a clear favourite for this year's title, after scoring twice as many wins (four) as 2020 champion and Prema teammate Mick Schumacher last year.
However, Shwartzman left Bahrain eighth in the standings after a difficult weekend punctuated by misfortune, contact and a drive-through penalty.
Read Also:
The 21-year-old was forced to start from 11th in race one after his car went into a safety mode in qualifying, preventing him from challenging for pole position.
A stunning drive from 11th to fourth in race one proved the only the real highlight from the three races.
Shwartzman retired from race two after a clash with Dan Ticktum, before recovering to seventh in Sunday's feature race, following a drive-through penalty incurred for punting Roy Nissany out of the race in the opening laps.
The early title contender was left to rue the weekend having felt he had the car underneath him to challenge for podiums in all three races, further underlined by rookie teammate Oscar Piastri winning race two.
"I'm super sad about how this weekend turned out since the car and balance were quite good," said Shwartzman.
"I think we had enough potential to battle for the podium in all three races. I made quite a good start [in the feature race, but there was no room, and I was a bit confused about where to go.
"Then, in turn 3, [Marcus] Armstrong pushed me off on the kerb and into the gravel, which could have been dangerous. I lost positions, and I reached turn 4 with dirty tyres. I locked both front tyres and hit Nissany.
"It's my fault, and I take all the blame, I couldn't control anything at that stage. I served the drive-through, which was fair, and then tried to do the best I could to recover. In the end, we finished P7, close to P6 and with the fastest lap time.
"Now it's time to go back to work and focus on the next round."
The championship will head to Monaco for Round 2 on 20-22 May.
Related video

Previous article
Zhou: Heading Alpine F2 battle "definitely a good feeling"
Next article
F2 boss declares new weekend format a "success"

About this article
Series | FIA F2 |
Event | Bahrain |
Drivers | Robert Shwartzman |
Author | Tom Howard |
Shwartzman "super sad" after difficult start to F2 campaign
Trending
F1’s feeder series champions – hits and misses
#ThinkingForward with Bruno Michel
Remembering Anthoine Hubert
Was Formula 2’s radical format switch a success?
Going into the 2021 Formula 2 season the biggest talking point wasn’t about any drivers or teams, but the new race weekend format. Created partly out of financial necessity but also to spice up the action, the Bahrain opener provided a snapshot of the positives and negatives to come.
Why 2021 is make-or-break for the driver F1 needs
He was tipped for glory in FIA Formula 2 last year, but was hampered by reliability woes at inopportune moments. Guanyu Zhou knows he won't get too many more chances if he is to become China's first F1 driver, with fierce competition within the ranks of Alpine's junior stable
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
How Mick Schumacher earned his Haas F1 chance
Michael Schumacher may have won seven Formula 1 titles, but he didn't even compete for a crown at the second tier. Son Mick put that right in 2020, and proved to Ferrari that he was deserving of a shot at motorsport's elite category in 2021…
How Aitken’s fortunes turned around for his shock F1 chance
As a consequence of George Russell's step up to Mercedes to cover for the COVID-positive Lewis Hamilton, Jack Aitken will make his Formula 1 debut for Williams at the Sakhir Grand Prix. Long on F1's peripheries, Aitken finally has a chance to shine.
How F1's foundation has responded to the coronavirus threat
While Formula 1 felt the public brunt of the coronavirus pandemic, the virus also put the Formula 2 and Formula 3 categories on hiatus. But their roles in feeding F1 with drivers meant their survival was crucial to their parent series' long-term future
The year Leclerc fully revealed his star status
In the latest feature in our series looking back on the 2010s, we revisit Charles Leclerc's sensational Formula 2 season - where he strode among on-track highs and lows, as well as tragedy away from motorsport, to earn a place on the Formula 1 grid
From Formula 1 exiles to part of the family
It wasn't long ago F2 drivers couldn't even get passes to the F1 paddock. Now, as Ross Brawn and Bruno Michel explain, attitudes are totally different