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This season was set to be Ralph Boschung’s last year in Formula 2. But a sudden injury meant he hasn’t had the season he set out to have.
The Campos driver has been in and out of the car since suffering a neck issue in Imola. After finally taking a real break off to recover, he’s back for the 11th round of the championship at Spa-Francorchamps.
Ahead of the weekend, Boschung sat down with FormulaNerds to discuss his injury, and what his plans for next season are.
Injury update
After sustaining an injury during the third round of the championship, Boschung was in and out of his car until Silverstone, when he stepped away for an extended break. He announced he has been suffering from severe facet syndrome.
While Boschung is returning for the triple header, he knows his injury isn’t something he’s done dealing with.
“For sure, it’s a big step compared to Silverstone where I last tried to drive,” Boschung told FormulaNerds. “It’s still a long way to go for it to be completely cleared off. I think, realistically speaking, for it to completely go away I would need to actually stop for the whole season.
“But obviously at some point, there’s a threshold between ‘when can I try again, when is it safe again to race?’ Because obviously, I’ve got my sponsors and the team and everything. We need to keep running the car with me obviously.
“So we decided to come back in Spa for that, and let’s see how the neck is going to react, but I think it’s a lot better.”
Despite missing six of the ten rounds of the championship, Boschung is still 14th in the standings. He scored his only podium of the year in Imola, finishing third in the Feature Race.
It’s going to be a long three weeks for Boschung, but he’s come back quickly, topping Free Practice in Spa and qualifying tenth.
Plans for next year
FormulaNerds also spoke to Boschung about his plans for next year, and he said that he was expecting 2022 to be his final season in this category.
“To be honest, it was the plan anyway for this to be my last F2 season, obviously last year was my first full completed F2 season which was decent. I’m trying to do better this year and end my F2 career in style, that was the plan.
“But obviously with all this mess with the neck, I’d still want to remain in F2 and have a proper chance next year. So we’re starting to discuss about that already with sponsors and teams. Obviously the big question will be whether I am still fit for F2 and that we will know in Spa, Zandvoort, and probably Monza if I am able to complete all three race weekends.
“If everything is fine I think we can probably push and try to close a deal for next year. I definitely want to have a proper shot at where we were in the beginning of the year and having a good rhythm. Everything is there to do well, so that is the plan.”
But even if another season of Formula 2 isn’t in the books for Boschung, he’s confident he can find something else to do.
“If not, then obviously I will need to see what else can be interesting in terms of racing, but to be honest I am not really a fan of a car with a roof or anything like that. So I would say maybe outside of racing I still have some nice ideas, which are maybe still in motorsport but just on the other side of the fence.”
Hopefully, Boschung will see some good results in the upcoming triple-header, and be able to secure a seat for his final year in Formula 2. He’ll be starting on pole for the Sprint Race tomorrow, giving him a huge chance to win his first race back.
Feature Image Credit: Getty Images
