Oliver Goethe will step up to FIA Formula 2 with MP Motorsport this weekend, taking part in Round 11 of the 2024 season at Monza.
The Red Bull Junior Team member will replace the Formula 1-bound Franco Colapinto following the announcement that the Argentine will be racing for Williams for the rest of the season.
Goethe graduates following two seasons in Formula 3, racing for Trident in 2023 and Campos Racing in 2024. The German also took part in two rounds for Campos at Budapest and Spa-Francorchamps in 2022.
Goethe finished eighth in his rookie campaign and graduates from the Championship while sat seventh in the current Standings having been a contender for the Drivers’ title. During that he won two races and achieved a further two podium finishes.
He will now make the move up to Formula 2 with MP, starting at Monza this weekend.
Although I haven’t got any experience in this F2 car, the two seasons I spent in FIA F3 gave me a great foundation for this step. My goals for this weekend are to soak up all the information MP Motorsport provides me with and learn as much as I can. It won’t be easy even on a track I know well because all my competitors have so much more experience than me and I got the call so late that I didn’t have a chance to do simulator prep for F2. But in some way, this is similar to my FIA F3 debut in 2022, where I joined the series mid-season and scored points on my first attempt and finished P4 in the Feature Race in Spa. Overall, I’m happy with my consistency this year and my win and podiums. I am a bit sad that I can’t finish my F3 season as planned, I would have loved to go out with a bang with my Campos Racing team. I wish good luck to them and to the drivers still in the fight for the title. I will be following the races for sure. Goethe on moving up.
Isack Hadjar started the Spa-Francorchamps weekend on the front foot for Campos Racing, narrowly heading up ART Grand Prix driver Victor Martins with a 1:58.730, just 0.010s quicker than his compatriot. PREMA Racing driver, Andrea Kimi Antonelli was able to improve to third late on in the practice session to complete the top three.
There was no rush to get time on the board but once the first laps of the session were completed, Juan Manuel Correa led the way for DAMS Lucas Oil on a 2:02.634.
A red flag arrived with just over 23 minutes to go as Rafael Villagomez hit the barrier out of Turn 9. He was ok but the Van Amersfoort Racing needed clearing up before the session was resumed.
Practice got back underway with 14 minutes left, and this time there was a rush to get some running in compared to earlier in the session. Martins took over at the top for ART Grand Prix as the clock ticked into the final 10 minutes, setting a 2:00.773.
The track continued to improve lap after lap and Dennis Hauger became the first driver below the two-minute mark with a 1:59.682 on his next effort.
Martins restored himself at the top until Hadjar secured P1 for Campos Racing with a 1:58.761 to lead by 0.026s. The French duo could hardly be separated once again on their final laps, but it was Hadjar who recorded the fastest time of the session.
Qualifying-
It was Paul Aron that claimed an important pole position for Hitech Pulse-Eight around Spa-Francorchamps, his 1:56.959 putting him on top ahead of his title rivals.
Gabriel Bortoleto was closest to the Estonian, 0.168s back in P2 while Championship leader Isack Hadjar wound up third on the grid, 0.2s down on his nearest rival.
Before anyone could record a timed lap, there was a Red Flag as the ART Grand Prix car belonging to Victor Martins slowed to a half at the start of sector three.
The session resumed with 24 minutes on the clock, and when the first time filtered through, Hadjar set the pace with a 1:57.803 just 0.102s ahead of title rival Aron in P2.
Kush Maini and Franco Colapinto were one of the few that opted to put a second lap in on their first set of Soft tyres and the pair improved to fifth and sixth respectively.
Drivers then returned to the track with 10 minutes left of the session on a fresh set of tyres for their next attempts and there were improvements everywhere.
Aron improved his time to take provisional pole with three minutes to go on a 1:56.959. Hadjar couldn’t beat that and went second until Bortoleto went quicker still.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Aron, P2: Bortoleto, P3: Hadjar, P4: Crawford, P5: Antonelli, P6: Maloney, P7: Colapinto, P8: Verschoor, P9: Hauger and P10: O’Sullivan who will be starting on reverse grid pole for Sprint Race.
Temperatures were much cooler for the Sprint compared to Friday’s Qualifying and there was a mix of tyres on the gird, with 12 cars fitted with the Softs while the rest chose Hards.
Two of those drivers on the Hards were pole-sitter Verschoor and his fellow front starter Maini, and while they made good starts, Andrea Kimi Antonelli had fired up his tyres from P4 and went round the outside of the Invicta car at Turn 2 to take second.
His fellow drivers on the red tyres were also flying as Gabriel Bortoleto and Enzo Fittipaldi moved up to P6 and P7 respectively by overtaking Isack Hadjar.
By the end of Lap 5, Antonelli was over two seconds clear out front, while Maini was beginning to close in on Verschoor for P2, with Martins just behind.
On to Lap 7, and Fittipaldi was showing strong pace in his Van Amersfoort Racing car and overtook his fellow option tyre runner Bortoleto for P6, going round his compatriot’s outside at Turn 1.
But as the drivers set of on lap 11, what had been a lead of over two second for Antonelli had now been close to 1.6s. Further back, Maini had also created a gap of over two seconds to Martins, who was now defending from Dennis Hauger in the battle for P4.
Verschoor was now right on the back of Antonelli as they started lap 16, but the PREMA driver was resisting each attack. However, he could not hold on much longer, running wide at the final corner before locking up into Turn 1 allowing both Verschoor and Maini through.
Unfortunately for Antonelli, his lock up had proven costly as he was falling through the field with Martins, Fittipaldi, Hauger and Hadjar all making their way past before PREMA made the call to pit him for a set of Hards.
Back in the midfield, Paul Aron was looking to make up the positions he lost at the start as one of the prime tyre runners and went round the outside of Jak Crawford at Turn 2 for P12, despite the American’s attempts to take back the position at T4.
But as the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver was battling to get back into the points, his Championship rival Hadjar was up to fourth after overtaking Fittipaldi and Hauger on lap 21.
Fittipaldi was also struggling on his softs and after losing out to Hauger and Colapinto, he suffered a puncture on his left front tyre forcing him to pit.
By the final lap, Verschoor had built a two-second gap out front and crossed the line to take his fourth Formula 2 victory ahead of Maini, with Martins taking the final podium spot.
However… Richard Verschoor has been disqualified from the results, as the plank on his car was below the minimum thickness required and lost the race win.
So the new full top 10 are- P1: Maini, P2: Martins, P3: Hadjar, P4: Hauger, P5: Colapinto, P6: Aron, P7: Barnard, P8: Correa, P9: Crawford and P10: Bearman.
Day 3-
It was a slow start for pole-sitter, Paul Aron, made worse by his lock up that forced him to go deep at Turn 1, dropping him to seventh. But it was an outstanding getaway from Martins, who was in the lead before approaching the opening corner after starting fifth.
The Hitech Pulse-Eight rookie’s hope of eating into Isack Hadjar’s 20-points championship lead took an early dent despite the Campos Racing driver being forced to start from the pit lane after leaving for the grid late.
Martins was under pressure from front row starter, Enzo Fittipaldi with Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto just behind them, with Hard tyre runners Zane Maloney and Antonelli in fourth and fifth respectively.
A Safety Car was required moments later when Aron, looking to dive down the inside of Hauger, carried too much speed into Turn 2 and went into the back of Maloney, causing both drivers to spin into a stop.
This allowed several of the soft tyre runners, such as Martins, Bortoleto, Fittipaldi, Hauger, O’Sullivan, Bearman and Hadjar to pit for hards and complete their mandatory stop.
The action resumed on lap 8 with Antonelli leading the way ahead of Verschoor and Kush Maini, the trio yet to pit. The Italian was in good form though, building up a lead of over three seconds to Verschoor by lap 13.
Just behind, Martins now on the better tyre in P4 and putting pressure on Maini. The ART driver was up to third on lap 15, going down the inside of the Invicta driver at Turn 1, with Bortoleto doing the same moments later on Amaury Cordeel for P6, Fittipaldi following through shortly afterwards.
Martins’ next target was Verschoor, and he was within DRS range of the Trident by lap 18 and dived down his inside at Turn 1 to move up to P2. But as he looked to close the six and a half second gap to Antonelli, the Safety Car was called upon with Cordeel having crashed at Turn 4.
Racing resumed on lap 27 of 37, with Martins leading away Bortoleto but they were quickly under pressure from Antonelli who got past both Hauger and Fittipaldi before reaching Turn 3.
Following the Safety Cars, the race became one against the clock and with under nine minutes to go, Antonelli used the DRS to his advantage and passed Martins on the main straight to take the lead.
Further behind, Verschoor was also on the charge and went round the outside of Hauger at Turn 2 to take P5 before getting past Fittipaldi on the next lap at Turn 1.
Onto the final lap, Antonelli had built up a lead of 12s before crossing the line to take his first Feature Race victory of the season, with Martins in second place. Verchoor made a last lap overtake on Bortoleto to take P3 with Fittipaldi.
The full top 10 are- P1: Antonelli, P2: Martins, P3: Verschoor, P4: Bortoleto, P5: Fittipaldi, P6: Hauger, P7: Maini, P8: Miyata, P9: Barnard and P10: Villagomez.
Rodin Motorsport’s Zane Maloney made a strong start to his Budapest weekend by going fastest of all in Free Practice thanks to his time of 1:32.668.
Maloney was in fine form throughout the session and ended up over a tenth faster than DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford in second with Van Amersfoort Racing’s Enzo Fittipaldi in third.
It was Maloney who led the way after the first set of laps, as his time of 1:33.556 put him on top, with Trident’s Richard Verschoor crossing the line to go to second, 0.390s behind.
PREMA’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli then went up to second, only for Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto to jump ahead of him moments later, the Brazilian just 0.188s off Maloney.
The Virtual Safety Car was briefly deployed after Campos Racing’s Josep Maria Marti spun and made slight contact with the barrier at Turn 11.
Martins though was showing good pace and on his next flying effort beat Maloney’s time by just 0.002s, sending him to the top. But he would not hold that position for much longer with Hauger going fastest on a 1:33.100.
With less than four minutes to go, the drivers started to push on their tyres once more and Maloney went back to the top of the leaderboard with a lap of 1:32.668.
Qualifying-
Paul Aron sealed his second pole position of the season after edging out Van Amersfoort Racing’s Enzo Fittipaldi to the top spot in a tightly contested Budapest Qualifying session.
The Hitech Pulse-Eight driver completed a late lap of 1:30.028 to beat Fittipaldi to first by just 0.068s with Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar over a tenth back in third.
But it was Free Practice table-topper, Zane Maloney who led the way early on clocking a time of 1:30.515 to lead his ART Grand Prix rival Victor Martins by over a tenth.
Then came Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto setting the fastest times in the first two sectors before going to the top of the leaderboard with a 1:30.269, beating Malone by 0.246s.
A few drivers went on to try go for a second push lap on their first set of tyres, one of those being Aron, but as he came across the line he went up to P7, the Red Flags were waved.
Josep Maria Marti spun at the exit of Turn 11 and while he managed to stay out of the barrier, he stopped by the side of the road meaning the marshals had to wheel his car away.
With under 10 minutes remaining in the session, the drivers returned to the track after strapping on a new set of softs, led by Fittipaldi. This meant that the Brazilian was the first to set a timed lap on his second set and went up to provisional pole.
However, his time was quickly beaten by Aron, as the Hitech rookie went just 0.068s clear of the Brazilian with a 1:30.028.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Aron, P2: Fittipaldi, P3: Hadjar, P4: Bortoleto, P5: Martins, P6: Hauger, P7: Antonelli, P8: Maloney, P9: Maini and P10: Verschoor.
Joshua Duerksen set the pace on the wet weather tyres in free practice, ending the session quickest of all for AIX Racing. The Paraguayan set a 1:58.064 to finish the session on top, with Josep Maria Marti second for Campos and teammate Taylor Barnard in third.
Championship leader, Paul Aron was the first underneath the two-minute mark, setting a 1:59.526 on the wet tyres to go fastest in the opening 10 minutes.
Zak O’Sullivan and DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford then set identical times, though the ART Grand Prix driver recorded his 1:59.884 first to claim P2, with the American third.
With just over 15 minutes remaining of the session, Andrea Kimi Antonelli went to the top briefly before teammate Oliver Bearman took over, going quickest after setting a 1:59.474 leaving the top three separated by just 0.052s.
Franco Colapinto prompted plenty of drivers to return to the track on slick hard tyres, though they all struggled with the surface still damp around most of the circuit.
All that tried the white-walled tyre struggled to find the necessary grip, with late yellow flags courtesy of O’Sullivan running through the gravel at Stowe before rejoining the track, with Marti repeating the off just moments later.
Qualifying-
Isack Hadjar took a hugely important pole position at Silverstone, as the Campos Racing driver led the pack on a 1:39.368, capitalising on an error by title rival and championship leader Paul Aron that left the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver down in 12th following a spin.
ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins making it an all-French front row , while Dennis Hauger found a late improvement to secure P3 with his final lap.
Home favourite Oliver Bearman, recorded the initial time to beat, 1:40.918 putting him a tenth clear of Invicta Racing’s Kush Maini in the early running, until Aron split the pair to go P2, 0.040s down on the PREMA.
Hauger was next go quickest, 1:40.554 but that was beaten twice over. Zane Maloney slotted into P2 just behind Maini who moved up to first on his next lap. Aron then found time to go fastest on a 1:40.181 with 20 minutes remaining.
Getting his first lap on the second set of tyres underway, Aron suffered a spin at Turn 1 which left him with major flatspots as everyone else improved. Title rival Hadjar leapt up to provisional pole with a 1:39.368 in the Campos car.
Having been inside the top 10, Maloney lost a time for track limits to leave Aron in P10, but an improvement from Ritomo Miyata in the Rodin Motorsport car bumped the Championship leader out of the top 10.
Hadjar peeled into the pitlane with a minute and a half to go while the majority continued on their way for a final attempt. Maloney put himself back into the top 10 on his final attempt, going ninth-fastest for Rodin, though he was one of the only improvements in the final minute.
The full top 10 are- P1: Hadjar, P2: Martins, P3: Hauger, P4: Colapinto, P5: Bearman, P6: Bortoleto, P7: Crawford, P8: Maini, P9: Maloney and P10: Antonelli.
Day 2-
After a formation lap behind the Safety Car, racing got underway with a rolling start with heavier rain closing in quickly. Antonelli retained his lead but teammate Oliver Bearman was battling Gabriel Bortoleto in the opening corners and the pair made slight contact, leaving the Brit with a broken front wing.
Bortoleto was undeterred and rounded Jak Crawford on the outside of Copse and into Maggots with a brave move for P4. Torrential rain arrived to close out the first lap as Antonelli built up a 2.5s lead over Maloney in second.
With damage to his front wing, Bearman dropped down the order, losing places to Franco Colapinto, Dennis Hauger and Victor Martins in the space of half a lap. A virtual safety car was then deployed on lap 3 to recover the endplate of Bearman.
As racing resumed, Paul Aron caught his title rival napping to secure P10 from Isack Hadjar on the approach to Maggotts and Becketts. Zak O’Sullivan relegated the Frenchman to 12th into Abbey at the end of the lap, before Hadjar then ran off the road at Turn 1.
After a brief pause in action to allow the rain to ease off, racing resumed entering lap 7, with another rolling start and once again, Antonelli kept hold of the lead.
On lap 8, contact between Marti and Championship leader Aron left both out of the race, while in a separate incident, Hadjar found himself in the gravel following a spin at Copse. This then brought out another Safety Car.
Racing got back underway on lap 13 with Antonelli leading comfortably once more while Bearman made a pass on Hauger at Turn 4 to secure eighth. Colapinto then moved ahead of Hauger into Brooklands and cleared Bearman after the Briton ran through the gravel at Copse dropping him to 18th.
O’Sullivan was on the move next on lap 14, rounding Colapinto on the outside of Copse for seventh position to continued his charge through the pack. Onto lap 16, and the Brit was attacking his teammate but contact between the pair at the loop left Martins spinning O’Sullivan with damage, putting them both out of the race.
Back to racing conditions again and Roman Stanek had been had been hustling Miyata for eighth and the Trident driver secured P8 from the Rodin driver with three laps to go.
Heading into the penultimate lap, Colapinto looked to have cleared Crawford for fifth around the outside of Stowe, but the DAMS Lucas Oil driver fought back into Abbey to retake the spot.
Onto the final lap and the all-Invicta battle for the last spot on the podium could hardly be split, the pair almost colliding several times on a frantic final tour.
Up ahead though, Antonelli was uncatchable and the Italian won his first F2 race by over eight second to Zane Maloney in second.
The full top 10 are- P1: Antonelli, P2: Maloney, P3: Bortoleto, P4: Maini, P5: Colapinto, P6: Crawford, P7: Hauger, P8: Stanek, P9: Barnard and P10: Miyata.
Day 3-
Wheelspin for Hadjar allowed ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins to take the lead while Oliver Bearman got a perfect launch in his PREMA car to rise up to second from fifth on the grid. Both MP Motorsport drivers fell back however, dropping from third and fourth to eighth and ninth, Franco Colapinto leading Dennis Hauger.
Crawford profited to take those two spots for P4, as Gabriel Bortoleto took fifth around the outside of Maloney at Copse corner. That move came just before a lap 1 safety car for the stranded Andrea Kimi Antonelli, stationary at Turn 3 after a spin in the opening exchanges following contact with Kush Maini.
Racing then resumed on Lap 3, but the Safety Car was back out almost immediately after a spin for Joshua Duerksen coming through Woodcote.
Fighting Championship leader Paul Aron for position, the AIX Racing driver got onto the grass that left him spinning into the gravel, but he tagged the right rear of the Hitech en route, which left the Estonian with a puncture and forced to pit.
Hadjar had been close to Bearman’s rear wing, and he got the move done for second place with DRS down the Hangar straight on lap 8. Both pitted at the end of the lap for their switch to the hard tyres.
After a flurry of pitstops, Hadjar closed down compatriot Martins and the ART driver was under serious threat from the Campos behind him. With DRS on lap 12, Hadjar almost pulled off a pass around the outside of Stowe but had to concede the place after running wide over track limits.
Ending lap 18, Hadjar went side-by-side with Martins through the Vale chicane in an attempt to pass but couldn’t get the move done. The Alpine Academy Junior ran wide at the final corner to re-open the door and then went off at Turn 1 to allow Hadjar through.
The ART driver then lost places to Crawford and Maloney in the process as he rejoined at Turn 3, while the American profited from their battle to take the lead of the race from Hadjar entering the Wellington Straight.
Onto Lap 25, Bortoleto was able to clear Bearman into Stowe for eighth position as the fight for the points continued.
Colpainto was back ahead of Martins and into sixth with five laps remaining but his progress stalled out with three to go as those ahead pushed on in pursuit of Crawford.
Despite his best efforts, the American couldn’t pull the gap to Hadjar, who claimed his third victory in 2024 and the lead of the Drivers’ Championship with it.
The full top 10 are- P1: Hadjar, P2: Maloney, P3: Crawford, P4: Colapinto, P5: Martins, P6: Bortoleto, P7: Bearman, P8: Fittipaldi, P9: Hauger and P10: Marti.
Isack Hadjar was fastest of all in the Spielberg free practice session, after he completed a lap of 1:16.441 to set the pace ahead of qualifying.
The Campos racing driver was over two-tenths clear out front of Hitech Pulse Eight’s Paul Aron in second and DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford in third.
It was PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman that led the way early on though thanks to a time of 1:17.011, putting him 0.076s clear of MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger in second.
The fastest time continued to change hands and next to top the timesheets was Paul Aron. The Hitech driver’s time of 1:16.680 put him two-tenths in front of ART Grands Prix Victor Martins.
Fresh from his Feature Race victory in Barcelona, Crawford looked to be continuing that fine form as he went up to second, 0.162s off Aron’s leading time.
The Red flags were waved moments later after AIX Racing’s Taylor Barnard pulled over to the side of the road on the main straight.
With the track then clear, the session resumed to green flag conditions and Crawford once again improved on his best effort.
Campos’ Hadjar then took over at the top of the leaderboard on a 1:16.624 eclipsing Aron’s time by just 0.056s. The Frenchman then extended his lead out front on his next flying effort, this time setting a lap of 1:16.441.
No one could improve late on, which left Hadjar with the fastest time ahead of Aron and Crawford.
Qualifying-
MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger sealed his second pole position of the season after a close battle with AIX Racing’s Joshua Duerksen in a dramatic Spielberg Qualifying.
The Norwegian driver completed a lap of 1:15.487 to lead Duerksen by just 0.008s, as Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top three.
It was Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar that led the way in the early stages though, an opening time of 1:15.828 put him over two-tenths clear of Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Paul Aron in second.
While most went for cool down laps, others continued to push but no one could trouble the top two. Returning to the pitlane, Hadjar had smoke coming from the rear of his car, with the issue ruling him out the remained of the session.
With five minutes left, the final few laps started and after leading the rest of the field around the track, Hauger went to the top of the timesheets with a 1:15.487.
The Paraguayan improved further on his next flying lap to go within 0.008s of top spot, but in the end Hauger held on to pole position with Bortoleto in third.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Hauger, P2: Duerksen, P3: Bortoelto, P4: Colapinto, P5: Aron, P6: Barnard, P7: Hadjar, P8: Marti, P9: Bearman and P10: Maini.
Day 2-
It was a superb start for Bearman as he took the lead from pole-sitter Kush Maini on the run up to Turn 1. The Invicta Racing driver then ost another place to Marti later in the lap.
By the end of lap 3, Bearman was now over two seconds clear of Marti. The Spaniard was also out of DRS range of Maini in third who was coming under attack from Taylor Barnard, Paul Aron and his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto.
At the start of lap 6, the gaps were starting to close, as Marti had moved to within a second a half of Bearman, while Maini was now within DRS range of the Campos rookie.
Barnard though was beginning to loose touch with Maini in the battle for P3, and the AIX Racing driver then dropped down to fifth after Aron dived down his inside at Turn 3. Back at the front, Bearman’s margin had gone with Marti now within DRS range of the Briton, with Maini just behind as they started lap 9.
At the halfway stage of the race, Joshua Duerksen made his way past his AIX Racing teammate Barnard after diving down his inside on the entry to turn 3.
Maini was beginning to struggle on lap 20 and fell out of DRS range of Marti up ahead. The Invicta driver then lost his place on the podium to Aron at the exit of Turn 3 on the next lap, with teammate Bortoleto following the Estonian through at the next corner.
But this allowed Bearman and Marti to escape on the road with Aron and Bortoleto now over a second away from the top two fighting for the final spot on the podium. The battles had also started further back as Duerksen lost P7 to Hauger on lap 24.
By the end of lap 26, Bearman had extended his lead to over one second to Marti while Bortoleto was all over the back of Aron. Just behind them, Maini lost out to the two MP drivers Colapinto and Hauger and dropped to seventh.
Onto the final lap, and Bearman extended his lead to nearly two seconds before crossing the line to take victory ahead of Marti, while Aron held off Bortoleto to take his seventh podium of the year.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bearman, P2: Marti, P3: Aron, P4: Bortoleto, P5: Hauger, P6: Crawford, P7: Maini, P8: Duerksen, P9: O’Sullivan and P10: Martins.
Day 3-
There was drama before the lights even went out, as pole-sitter Dennis Hauger at the start of the formation lap, alongside Kush Maini and Jak Crawford, forcing the three drivers to start from the pitlane.
This then left Duerksen as the lead car on the grid and he made a fast start ahead of Bortoleto with Colapinto in third and Championship leader Paul Aron in fourth.
Colapinto was the lone driver in the top five to start on the softs and he was coming under pressure from Aron and Isack Hadjar who were on supersofts. Further up the road, Duerksen and Bortoleto were now battling for the lead with the Brazilian making the move down the inside at Turn 4 on Lap 4.
On lap 6, Josep Maria Marti lost P6 to sprint race winner, Oliver Bearman, the Prema racer getting past at the exit of turn 3. Moments later, the Virtual Safety Car was deployed with Zane Maloney stopping on track. After his Rodin Motorsport car was cleared, racing resumed with a number of supersoft runners then pitting for the softs.
That included Marti, Duerksen, Bortoleto, Taylor Barnard, Richard Verschoor and Andrea Kimi Antonelli – with the latter stalling in the pitlane dropping him to the back of the field.
Onto lap 18 and Aron had now got past Duerksen, and further up the road, Bortoleto was now right on the back of Marti in the battle for what would turn out to be the lead of the race. The Brazilian driver dived down the inside of his fellow rookie at Turn 3 to take the position.
Enzo Fittipaldi was having a strong day as he made his way past his Van Amersfoort Racing teammate Rafael Villagomez and Trident’s Roman Stanek with Duerksen his next target in P9.
The battle between the two Campos drivers then resumed on lap 32, just as the leader Colapinto made his mandatory pit stop. The MP rookie came back out in P8 behind a squabbling Fittipaldi and Duerksen. But he quickly overtook both of them at Turns 3 and 4 on lap 35, putting him up to fifth and just under three seconds behind Aron.
Out front, Bortoleto’s lead over Hadjar was over three and a half seconds, with the Frenchman coming under pressure from Marti, Aron and a flying Colapinto.
The Argentine took P4 from Aron at Turn 4 on Lap 38, before moving past Marti on the next tour. Onto the final lap, he overtook Hadjar for second but there was no catching Bortoleto, who crossed the line to take his first Formula 2 victory.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bortoleto, P2: Colapinto, P3: Hadjar, P4: Fittipaldi, P5: Aron, P6: Durksen, P7: Cordeel, P8: Barnard, P9: O’Sullivan and P10: Crawford.
Maini suffered wheelspin off the line from pole and dropped to fourth while Martins profited to take the lead on the run to the first corner. Ritomo Miyata swept around the outside at Turn 1 to go from fourth to second, ahead of Correa and Maini.
On lap 2 and Maini made a late dive to the inside of Correa at the opening corner to recover one position. Teammate Gabriel Bortoleto followed him through at Turn 4.
In the battle for seventh, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Isack Hadjar fought hard early on, though the Campos Racing driver was unable to find a route through on the PREMA Racing talent.
By lap 10, Martins was able to escape from DRS range of Miyata behind and led by 1.5s, while the Japanese driver held a 1.1s advantage over Maini in the podium places.
Antonelli had dropped out of DRS range to Paul Aron ahead and after a long time of trying, Hadjar finally cleared the PREMA driver into Turn 1 on lap 12.
With 10 laps to go, track limits became a problem for Miyata, and the Rodin driver was assigned a five-second penalty for one too many breaches. He earned a second time penalty in his struggle to remain ahead of Maini to bring that total up to 10 second with five laps remaining.
Further back, Hadjar lost seventh to Crawford as both DAMS cars looked to be taking better care of the tyres than those ahead. Correa was pressuring Bortoleto for the final podium place, but the Brazilian was able to fend him off to maintain position.
Onto the penultimate lap and a sizeable lock-up into Turn 5 was evidence of how hard Bortoleto was pushing to keep Correa behind. However, it gave the American a run into Turn 10 and after diving to the inside, he claimed fourth on the road.
Aron was next to clear Bortoleto, rounding the Invicta driver at Turn 3 on the final lap to take P5, as two corners later Crawford followed through to take sixth from him.
The full top 10 are- P1: Martins, P2: Maini, P3: Aron, P4: Crawford, P5: Bortoleto, P6: Hadjar, P7: Miyata, P8: Correa, P9: O’Sullivan and P10: Durksen.
Day 3-
Pole sitter Paul Aron got the perfect launch to lead into Turn 1 ahead of Crawford and Colapinto. Further back, contact sent Victor Martins and Dennis Hauger spinning into the gravel at Turn 2 leaving both out of the race.
Isack Hadjar was the biggest winner, moving up from 11th to fifth in the opening half lap prior to the Safety Car deployed for Hauger and Martins’.
Racing resumed on lap 4 and Aron retained the lead, escaping over a second clear to move out of DRS range to Crawford behind.
Lap 8 and the hard compound runners began to benefit over those on softs, with Joshua Duersken taking fifth from Hadjar into Turn 1. Crawford was in from second at the end of the lap, with Ritomo Miyata and Zak O’Sullivan following the DAMS driver in from inside the top 10.
Gabriel Bortoleto pitted on lap 11 for Invicta Racing, filtering back out in P14 behind Crawford but with warm tyres, O’Sullivan was able to pass him on the outlap to take the position.
Leader Aron was called into the pits and Colapinto followed him in on lap 12. The Hitech rejoined ahead of Crawford but with the DAMS driver on his rear wing. Through turn 3, the American driver took ninth from Aron, while Colapinto retained position over Bortoleto.
Duerksen had been the leader and yet to pit on the alternative strategy but on lap 18, he slowed to a half in the middle sector to bring out another Virtual Safety Car. His stoppage handed the lead over to Juan Manuel Correa, who was also yet to pit.
Racing resumed on lap 20, and Colapinto put Bortoleto under immediate pressure, with the Invicta driver getting his elbows out to keep the place. Just behind them, Aron got the slipstream to take 10th from O’Sullivan at Turn 2. One lap later and Hadjar eased by the ART driver at Turn 1.
With 10 laps to go, Correa pitted from the race lead for the soft compound, filtering back out onto the track in P9 just as Aron made a brave dive on Bortoleto into Turn 1 to take fifth.
As Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Amaury Cordeel pitted, Crawford retook the lead with Colapinto his closest rival for the win 3.6s behind in P2.
Onto lap 34, and Hadjar desposed Bortoelto for fifth while Invicta teammate Kush Maini gained seventh at the expense of Maloney on the run into Turn 1.
The Invicta teammate were nose to tail on the final lap and going wheel-to-wheel into the first corner collided with one another, leaving Bortoleto with front wing damage and Maini ahead in sixth.
The full top 10 are- P1: Crawford, P2: Colapinto, P3: Correa, P4: Aron, P5: Hadjar, P6: Maini, P7: Maloney, P8: Cordeel, P9: Marti and P10: Bortoleto.
Paul Aron started the Barcelona weekend in good form, topping the Free Practice session for Hitech Pulse-Eight. The Estonian set a 1:26.922 to head the pack ahead of Enzo Fittipaldi in the Van Amersfoort Racing car and MP Motorsport’s Franco Colapinto.
AIX Racing’s Joshua Duerksen set the initial pace, a 1:27.742 putting him on top early with the majority waiting to venture out onto the circuit.
That was bettered by Ritomo Miyata in the Rodin Motorsport, lowering the time to beat to a 1:27.639. As the clocked ticked to under 30 minutes remaining, the track filled up and the times kept flowing.
Championship leader, Paul Aron was the first to break into the 1:26s, setting the fastest time of 1:26.922 with just over 20 minutes left of the session. Fittipaldi filtered through in second, 0.136s down with Colapinto third for MP.
Qualifying-
Paul Aron continued the way he left free practice, setting the fastest time in Qualifying for his maiden Formula 2 pole position in an incredibly close session.
DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford ended up just 0.002s back in second, with Franco Colapinto third for MP Motorsport, 0.006s behind Aron.
After ending up fastest in practice, Aron set the first time to beat on a 1:25.385. MP teammates Dennis Hauger and Colapinto filed through in second and third places respectively.
The red flag was then thrown after AIX Racing’s Taylor Barnard went off at Turn 9 and into the barriers. He was out of the car and ok, but his car needed recovering.
Running resumed with 23 minutes left on the clock but there were no threats to Aron’s provisional pole time until Isack Hadjar ventured out for his first flying lap. The Frenchman put his Campos at the top of the times, setting a 1:25.205.
PREMA Racing’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli was able to move up to second place, just 0.141s down on Hadjar’s effort.
After a brief spell of quiet in the pitlane, everyone was fitted with fresh soft tyres and took to the track once again with under 10 minutes to go.
Aron was able to find further improvements to retake the top spot with a 1:24.766 before Ritomo Miyata put himself up to P2 for Rodin, 0.182s behind.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Aron, P2: Crawford, P3: Colapinto, P4: Bortoleto, P5: Antonelli, P6: Miyata, P7: Durksen, P8: Correa, P9: Martins and P10: Maini.
FIA Formula 2 announce the calendar for the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship. Once again, fourteen rounds will make the new season, all support events of the FIA Formula One World Championship with a total of 28 races across 13 countries.
The ninth season of Formula 2 will open in Melbourne at Albert Park from 14th to 16th March. While the season will once again conclude at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi on December 5th to 7th.
Round
Date
Location
1
14th – 16th March
Melbourne, Australia
2
11th – 13th April
Sakhir, Bahrain
3
18th – 20th April
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
4
16th – 18th May
Imola, Italy
5
22nd – 25th May
Monte Carlo, Monaco
6
30th May – 1st June
Barcelona, Spain
7
27th – 29th June
Spielberg, Austria
8
4th – 6th July
Silverstone, Great Britain
9
25th – 27th July
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
10
1st – 3rd August
Budapest, Hungary
11
5th – 7th September
Monza, Italy
12
19th – 21st September
Baku, Azerbaijan
13
28th – 30th November
Lusail, Qatar
14
5th – 7th December
Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
It is fantastic to publish the F2 calendar that will again see the series join Formula 1 at 14 Grands Prix next season. The pyramid system is vital to the long-term success of Formula 1, and to have this close connection between these two series is not only great for our fans who are treated to even more wheel-to-wheel action, but for the drivers who gain competitive experience racing on F1 circuits and can showcase their talent in front of full grandstands, global TV audiences and watching F1 teams. The Championship this year is once again delivering exciting racing at every event and I want to pay tribute to the work of Bruno Michel, CEO F2/F3 and his team and all the competitors across the grid. I would also like to thank the FIA for their strategic and fundamental support on this important championship, as well as our long-standing partners Pirelli, Aramco, Dallara and Mecachrome. I am excited to follow the rest of this season and look forward to another great year in 2025. Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1.
As a crucial step on the FIA single-seater pyramid, the FIA Formula 2 Championship provides an opportunity for emerging single-seater talent to showcase their skills to a global audience. The 2025 calendar provides challenges for drivers with a blend of traditional and modern circuits and destinations as they strive to become our champions of the future. I look forward to seeing the class of 2025 in action. FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
I’m very pleased to announce the F2 2025 calendar, which will comprise the same amount of rounds than the current season – fourteen. It’s the right balance between European rounds and fly-aways, across three continents, and keeping in mind the costs for our teams and drivers. It’s also a good mixture between old-school tracks and more modern layouts, which both have seen thrilling F2 races in recent years. I’m sure, this will be the case once more in 2025. FIA Formula 2 CEO, Bruno Michel.
Despite a slower getaway than fellow front row starter Bortoleto, Barnard was able to keep a hold of the lead while Hauger tucked into third. However, a safety car was required after Victor Martins’ race ended early in the barriers at Turn 1.
The ART Grand Prix driver appeared to collide with DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford and Campos Racing’s Josep Maria Marti, taking off his front wing and sending him into the wall.
At the restart, Barnard kept a hold of the lead, but the Safety Car was deployed again on lap 6 when Marti crashed into the wall at the swimming pool section. Racing then resumed on lap 8 and by the end of the next tour of the track, the top four from Barnard to Andrea Kimi Antonelli were separated by a second and a half.
The Virtual Safety Car was then deployed on lap 11 after Richard Verschoor sustained damage on his front wing after hitting the apex at Mirabeua. The Trident driver appeared to receive a tap from Joshua Duerksen causing him to lose control.
Out in front, Barnard’s lead over Bortoleto was now over two seconds by the start of lap 19, the Brazilian driver now coming under pressure from Hauger.
Bearman’s day was made worse when he a slow moment out of Portier following an issue which dropped him down a few places. This promoted Maloney to 11th, who was looking to dive down the inside of Zak O’Sullivan for P10.
The Championship leader’s day then came to an end at La Rascasse after he locked up into the corner before being sent into a spin by Juan Manuel Correa. This also left Maini without a place to go causing him to stop next to Maloney, with the track blocked it triggered a red flag.
Racing got back underway with a rolling start on lap 26 and Barnard was now nearly four seconds clear of Bortoleto as they rounded the track for the 28th time.
As they started the final lap, the gap out front was five seconds leaving Barnard to cross the line in first, giving him and AIX Racing their maiden Formula 2 victory. Boroleto finished in P2 while Hauger followed him across the line to take P3.
The full top 10 are- P1: Barnard, P2: Bortoleto, P3: Hauger, P4: Antonelli, P5: Colapinto, P6: Stanek, P7: Aron, P8: Hadjar, P9: Fittipaldi and P10: O’Sullivan.
Day 4-
Richard Verschoor made a fast start from pole in the Trident, but his fellow front row starter Victor Martins fell down the order. It allowed Hadjar and Aron to move up to second and third.
Further back, Gabriel Bortoleto was using his supersoft tyres well as he went round the outside of Dennis Hauger at the Turn 6 hairpin putting him up to eighth. He was right behind Oliver Bearman who made his way up from 12th to P7.
It was not good news however for DAMS Lucas Oil driver Jak Crawford, who stopped on track at Turn 7 after colliding with the Invicta Racing car of Kush Maini.
On lap 4 of 42, Verschoor was being put under pressure by Hadjar, while Aron was falling back in third. Just behind the top three, Colapinto was feeling the presence of PREMA’s Antonelli for P4.
The drivers then held station but by lap 10, Bortoleto was given the hurry up from his Invicta Racing team and told to catch berman ahead.
Trouble came for Trident and Verschoor, with the Dutch driver coming on the radio to report an issue. The Dutchman was able to keep things going but his three second lead to Hadjar was now gone.
At the halfway stage, Hitech and PREMA rolled the dice by pitting Aron and Antonelli for the supersoft tyres. The latter came out ahead his teammmate Bearman, though the two went wheel to wheel and the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy talent claimed the position.
On lap 36, Hadjar came on the radio to say he had hit the wall but was able to continue, although he was still coming under attack from Aron. Elsewhere, Maloney and Barnard made contact at the Turn 6 hairpin, with the AIX racer losing a piece of his front wing.
Lap 40, Joshua Duerksen was next to pit but collided with Maloney at Turn 1. The AIX driver stopped on track while the Rodin Motorsport driver continued on.
This gave Zak O’Sullivan, the last remaining runner on the alternative strategy yet to pit, the chance to come in from the lead. Crucially, he was called in by ART moments before the VSC was deployed, making his stop under VSC legal.
The Brit re-joined ahead of Hadjar on the penultimate lap before holding him off on a tense final lap to take his maiden victory in Formula 2.
The full top 10 are- P1: O’Sullivan, P2: Hadjar, P3: Aron, P4: Bearman, P5: Correa, P6: Hauger, P7: Antonelli, P8: Bortoleto, P9: Martins and P10: Maloney.
Victor Martins made a quick start to the Monte Carlo weekend by setting the fastest time in a rain-affected practice session. The ART Grand Prix driver’s lap of 1:39.237 lead the field ahead of Richard Verschoor and Dennis Hauger.
Heavy rain hit the track just before the start of the session, meaning drivers headed out onto a damp circuit. This made for tricky running with Enzo Fittipaldi the first to have a close call with the barrier at the hairpin section.
As conditions improved and the drivers gained more confidence in the wet, the fastest time changed hands multiple times. But after 10 minutes of running, Martins led an ART 1-2, his time of 1:40.531 put him half a second clear of Zak O’Sullivan.
Martins continued to set the pace and once again lowered the benchmark time to a 1:39.237. Trident’s Verschoor followed him across the line to go to P2, albeit nine-tenths behind.
But red flags were waved with Franco Colapinto stationary in his MP Motorsport car after contact with the barrier at La Rascasse.
The action resumed with 20 minutes left, and Dennis Hauger was the next driver to improve, moving up to second. The rain began to worsen as the session entered into the final 10 minutes leading the teams to bring their cars back into the pitlane.
Day 2-
Group A-
The 11 even-numbered drivers headed out on to the track with 16 minutes on the clock looking to set their fastest times.
After crossing the line to complete their first flying laps, it was ART driver Zak O’Sullivan who was the one to beat with a 1:23.118 putting him P1. His time was over half a second quicker than his nearest rivan in Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar.
The Briton continued to set the pace on his next effort, completing a lap of 1:22.202. On this occasion, the gap to second place Verschoor was just 0.113s.
As the first segment entered into the closing stages, green and purple colours lit up the timing screens as Verschoor went quickest with a 1:21.283 for Trident, a tenth ahead of Hadjar.
Gabriel Bortoleto was third for Invicta Racing, but he came on the radio to inform his team that he had hit the wall in the swimming pool section.
The drivers then set off on their final attempts, but despite their best efforts, no one could beat Verschoor’s time.
Group B-
The second set of 11 drivers headed out on to the track with Verschoor’s 1:21.283 their target time for pole.
As the drivers started their flying laps, the red flags were waved early after Rafael Villagomez lost the rear of his Van Amersfoort Racing car on the entry to Turn 1, sending him straight into the barrier.
With the track clear, drivers left the pitlane with nine minutes left in the segment. They wasted no time going for their push laps and it was Rodin’s Zane Maloney who went to the top of the leaderboard with a 1:21.941.
But Martins went back to the top of the leaderboard but not for long as Roman Stanek’s 1:21.466 to put him ahead of the Frenchman.
One final attempt was all there was time for, but Stanek’s hopes were dashed when he collided with the barrier in the second sector. Martins crossed the line to go fastest with a 1:21.310. This left Verschoor on pole position ahead of Martins for the feature race.
The full top overall are- P1: Verschoor, P2: Martins, P3: Hadjar, P4: Aron, P5: Colapinto, P6: Stanek, P7: Antonelli, P8: Hauger, P9: Bortoleto and P10: Barnard.
However, Bearman, Correa and Maini all have been given a three place grid penalty for impeeding.
Hitech Pulse-Eight driver Paul Aron was the fastest of all during the Imola Free Practice session, setting a time of 1:28.852 to top the timesheets. He finished ahead of Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Rodin Motorsport’s Zane Maloney.
It was a busy start to the session as Trident’s Roman Stanek set the early pace, competing a lap of 1:30.784 to lead Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar by just 0.028s.
The Frenchman then lowered the time to beat to a 1:29.805, edging out his nearest rival in Invicta Racing’s Kush Maini by just 0.040s.
The fastest time continued to change hands and Dennis Hauger was the next driver to top the leaderboard. His lap of 1:29.539 put him clear of Championship leader Maloney by 0.088s.
As the session entered its final stages, Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Paul Aron eclipsed Bortoleto’s time by 0.071s to take the top spot, before Maloeny crossed the line to go up third.
There was a late red flag waved after PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman crashed into the barrier at the exit of Turn 4, and with little time remaining the session was not restarted.
Qualifying-
Gabriel Bortoleto earned pole position in an action-packed Imola Qualifying, a session impacted by track limits violations. The Invicta Racing driver completed a lap of 1:27.056 to take the top spot ahead of PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman and Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar.
With tyre preparation done, the early times started to filter through, and it was Bortoleto that led the way thanks to a alp of 1:28.044 edging out Hadjar by just 0.026s.
The Invicta Racing driver then lowered the time to beat on his next flying effort, completing a 1:27.739 on this occasion. Also improving was Zane Maloney, with the Rodin Motorsport driver moving up to second, albeit 0.271 off the leading time.
After returning to the pitlane for a new set of the Pirelli Supersoft tyres, the drivers returned to the track with 12 minutes left and this time it was Bearman who rocketed to the top of the timesheets.
The PREMA driver’s 1:27.111 put him on top briefly pushing his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli down to second. Hadjar split the pair moments later as he went back up to P2. But then came Bortoleto on his final flying lap, and the Invicta rookie set a time of 1:27.056 to snatch pole position.
Bearman and Antonelli did have their final laps provisionally deleted track limits, although the Stewards reinstated their times, along with several others, following the conclusion of the session.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bortoleto, P2: Bearman, P3: Hadjar, P4: Antonelli, P5: Durksen, P6: Maloney, P7: Stanek, P8: Aron, P9: Colapinto and P10: Cordeel.
Day 2-
Aron made a fast start from P3, getting ahead of Colapinto and teammate Amaury Cordeel to take the lead into Turn 3. But the Safety Car was immediately required following contact between Roman Stanek and Isack Hadjar that led to several other incidents.
We were back to racing on lap 6 as Aron extended his lead over his teammate Cordeel. A lap later, the Belgian went wide at the penultimate corner giving Colapinto the chance to overtake him for P2 down the main straight.
By lap 9, Colapinto was beginning to close the gap to Aron while Cordeel, having dropped back from the top two, was coming under pressure from Zane Maloney, Oliver Bearman and Gabriel Bortoleto.
On lap 12, Colapinto was now within DRS range of Aron, while Maloney was beginning to attack Cordeel. However, both Hitech’s were proving difficult to pass.
After biding his time behind the Hitech car, Maloney finally made his move past Cordeel around the outside at Turn 3 on lap 22, putting him on course for his fourth podium of the year.
On the penultimate lap and having dropped back from the leader, Colapinto closed on Aron once more before making a last lap move past his fellow rookie around at the outside at Tamburello.
The move earned the MP driver his first victory in Formula 2, while Aron took second place ahead of Maloney. The full top 10 are- P1: Colapinto, P2: Aron, P3: Maloney, P4: Cordeel, P5: Bearman, P6: Bortoleto, P7: Verschoor, P8: Maini, P9: O’Sullivan and P10: Antonelli.
Day 3-
Pole-sitter Bortoleto suffered a slow getaway and dropped down to fourth at the start giving Oliver Bearman the lead of the line. This promoted Hadjar up to second, while Duerksen went to P3 from fifth on the grid.
The conclusion of lap 6 brought the first pit stops, with Hadjar and Duerksen swapping their supersofts for the Mediums. Also coming into the pitlane was Zane Maloney and Roman Stanek, the latter jumping ahead of the Rodin Motorsport driver during the exchange.
Bearman then led a gaggle of cars including Bortoleto, Colapinto and Aron into the pitlane on the next lap. The Prema driver stalled twice as he tried to pull away, handing Hadjar the effective race lead.
Back in the battle for the effective race lead, Bortoleto was closing the gap to Hadjar. The Campos driver’s two second lead now just 1.3s by the end of lap 16.
Further back, there was frustration for Maloney, who was being held up by Stanek and on lap 17, the Championship leader could see Jak Crawford, Richard Verschoor and Dennis Hauger closing in on his wing mirrors.
Maloney was beginning to struggle and after giving the Bajan driver the hurry up on the radio Crawford made the move past him at the exit of Turn 7.
By lap 30, the drivers on the alternative strategy were beginning to pit, but it was two bad stops for Cordeel and Marti, as both drivers had tyres come off their cars as they looked to come back out on track, ruling them out of the race.
Back on track, Bortoleto had closed right up to Hadjar, but the Frenchman was proving tough in defence. The Red Bull Junior did just enough in the end to take his second feature race victory in F2, with Bortoleto settling for second, while Duerksen ran a strong race to finish third and making him the first driver from Paraguay on the podium in F2.
The full top 10 are- P1: Hadjar, P2: Bortoleto, P3: Duerksen, P4: Antonelli, P5: Colapinto, P6: Aron, P7: Crawford, P8: Correa, P9: Martins and P10: Verschoor.
A slow getaway from the front row gave Hadjar the momentum to take the lead, but as the Frenchman moved to pass pole-sitter Stanek, he tapped teammate Josep Maria Marti who collided with Gabriel Bortoleto.
Victor Martins was a big winner of lap 1, where he climbed eight places from P21 to 13th in the space of half a lap.
After five laps behind the Safety Car, racing got underway entering lap 7, but Zane Maloney had a tough restart, dropping from fifth position to 10th after running into the gravel out of Turn 6.
The fight for second was a five-car battle headed by Stanek, with the chasing pack bunched up behind closely. Going into Turn 12 on lap 10, a spin for Andrea Kimi Antonelli sent Richard Verschoor spinning also, while Paul Aron sustained front wing damage in the process. The PREMA and Trident drivers were out on the spot and the Safety Car was called upon.
Back to racing, Hadjar got the jump on Stanek once again to establish a comfortable lead. A fastest lap with seven to go gave him a lead of three seconds over the Trident driver, who was defending hard from Maini behind.
Onto the penultimate lap and Hauger finally got the move done on Maini to take third, sweeping around the outside of the Invicta driver at Turn 9 to take the place.
Hadjar had disappeared into the distance after the final Safety Car and crossed the line to win by over six seconds. However, Isack Hadjar has been handed a 10 second time penalty after the race as he was found to cause a collision at the start of the race. Which means he loses his victory and drops down to sixth.
So the top 10 is- P1: Stanek, P2: Hauger, P3: Maini, P4: Colapinto, P5: Miyata, P6: Hadjar, P7: Martins, P8: O’Sullivan, P9: Crawford and P10: Maloney.
Day 3-
Dennis Hauger got the perfect start to lead Andrea Kimi Antonelli into Turn 1. Contact further back in the pack between Zak O’Sullivan and Roman Stanek left the sprint winner spinning and put him last in the order.
Further around the first lap, Antonelli made a dive to the inside of the polesitter to secure P1 at Turn 11, but the MP driver responded on the following tour to retake the lead at Turn 9.
There was a brief virtual Safety Car on Lap 7 to recover Joshua Duerksen’s car following contact with O’Sullivan at Turn 13. Racing was resumed and Maini was on the move, he took the lead from Hauger on Lap 9 before the Norwegian led Antonelli and the first leaders in for mandatory stops, filtering back out just outside of the top 10.
The polesitter’s day was over shortly afterwards though, as he crashed at Turn 6 to bring out the Virtual Safety Car on lap 11. Isack Hadjar made his mandatory stop before the VSC was deployed to come back out ahead of Antonelli on the road in 8th.
Hadjar cleared the yet to stop Taylor Banard for sixth to put a car between himself and his closest rival. The Frenchman was on the move on the following lap, taking fifth from Enzo Fittipaldi at Turn 9. The Campos driver’s charge continued at the expense of Stanek on Lap 20, easing by the Trident driver with DRS on the back straight.
Having cleared teammate Ritomo Miyata, Maloney was next to pass Barnard to move himself up to ninth position and he set off in pursuit of the PREMA driver further ahead.
Lap 24, and with Stanek battling to stay ahead of Fittipaldi, the VAR driver ran out of room at Turn 4 to allow Aron, Antonelli and Maloney through.
The full top 10 are- P1: Hadjar, P2: Aron, P3: Maloney, P4: Antonelli, P5: Miyata, P6: Verschoor, P7: Colapinto, P8: Villagomez, P9: Martins and P10: Bearman.
However, Colapinto has been disqualified from the race as he was found to have not engaged the race start set up procedure at the start of the race in breach of technical regulations. The Argentinian loses P7 with Jak Crawford moving up into the final points position.
Dennis Hauger ended practice fastest of all for MP Motorsport, recording a 1:29.654 to hit the ground running in Melbourne. Isack Hadjar followed in P2, the Campos driver just 0.001s down on the fastest laptime while Andrea Kimi Antonelli led the PREMA Racing charge in third.
Not long after the green light, Amaury Cordeel brought out an early Red Flag after running deep at Turn 1 and becoming beached in the gravel trap.
Once the Hitech Pulse-Eight car was clear, the top spot changed hands multiple times, but Victor Martin led the way for ART Grand Prix after he set a 1:32.359, 0.074s clear of teammate Zak O’Sullivan.
That was swiftly beaten by Gabriel Bortoleto as he moved up to P1 on a 1:31.043. Rodin Motorsport’s Zane Maloney went second-quickest until Antonelli closed the gap to the Brazilian to just 0.130s.
The track continued to improve rapidly as Bortoleto improved on his next lap to lower the time to beat to a 1:30.373. Hauger bettered that by 0.070s shortly afterwards, while Martins went third overall a further 0.008s further back from the Norwegian.
The MP driver then went to the top himself, a 1:29.654 leaving him 0.4s quicker than Antonelli, who moved up to second with over 15 minutes to go.
Paul Aron suffered a similar spin at Turn 1 as his teammate but was able to recover to the circuit and continue on his way. There was a few more improvements in the latter stages of the session, though Hadjar was able to move himself up to second.
The second red flag of the session came with three minutes remaining, as Van Amersfoort Racing’s Rafael Villagomez spun and came to a stop at Turn 2 which brought an early end to the session.
Qualifying-
Dennis Hauger made it a Friday sweep for MP Motorsport, taking pole position in Melbourne after topping Practice timesheets.
The Norwegian beat PREMA Racing’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli to the top spot with his final flying lap to record a 1:28.694. Richard Verschoor made a late improvement to end up third overall.
Before any laps were on the board, the red flags were waved after ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins came to a half at Turn 7 after a spin on corner exit. He managed to avoid the barriers, but his session was over and his car was recovered.
Once action resumed, Kush Maini set the initial benchmark with a 1:30.359. Hitech Pulse Eight’s Paul Aron then took over P1 with a 1:29,984 while Hauger was just 0.031s down on that effort in second.
With 14 minutes left, cars returned to the pits for fresh supersoft tyres heading into the final runs of the session
Once back on track, Maloney took to the top spot with a 1:29.374 just prior to the second red flag of the session. Jak Crawford lost his DAMS Lucas Oil car and hit the barriers at Turn 12.
Qualifying got back underway with 4:14 left on the clock and the top four were separated by less than a tenth of a second. Bortoleto was set to make an improvement but ran off the road at Turn 12.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Hauger, P2: Antonelli, P3: Verschoor, P4: Maini, P5: Maloney, P6: Aron, P7: Marti, P8: Hadjar, P9: Bortoleto and P10: Stanek.
MP Motorsport driver Dennis Hauger made a solid start to this weekend’s action in Jeddah setting the fastest time in free practice.
Hauger led the way for most of the session but completed a lap of 1:43.793 late in the proceedings to lead his nearest rival, Kush Maini by over a tenth.
The Norwegian and the rest of the 21 drivers were quickly out on track setting fast laps on the medium tyre as they looked to get up to speed around Jeddah in the 45 minutes of practice time ahead of Qualifying.
With 15 minutes of running in the books, Hauger had set the benchmark time thanks to his lap of 1:45.558 with Enzo Fittipaldi in second 0.197s behind. Moments later Fittipaldi’s Van Amersfoort Racing teammate Rafael Villagomez brought out the Red Flags after the Mexican driver crashed into the barriers at Turn 17.
The drivers were back on track setting laps with a quarter of the session remaining. The track was now offering more grip which Hauger used to his advantage to improve on his pace-setting efforts twice, before completing a final lap of 1:43.793 to end the quickest of all.
The full top 10 are- P1: Hauger, P2: Maini, P3: Martins, P4: Bearman, P5: Crawford, P6: Verschoor, P7: Correa, P8: Maloney, P9: Antonelli and 10: Bortoleto.
Qualifying-
Oliver Bearman had been targeting a rebound from Sakhir and secured pole position in style in a head-to-head against Kush Maini. The PREMA driver set a 1:42.217 to beat the Invicta Racing driver to pole by just 0.025s. Jak Crawford made a late improvement to secure third on the grid for DAMS Lucas Oil.
At the start, two preparation laps gave way to the first flying efforts, and it was Bearman who set the pace to beat with a time of 1:43.207. Despite having two purple sectors in one and two, Kush Maini filtered through in P2.
There was a larger gap after the top two, with Richard Verschoor leading the next group of runners. The Dutchman set a decent first effort in his Trident as his time of a 1:43.774 saw him go third-fastest.
A return to the pits for fresh tyres gave way to more fast laps and Roman Stanek of Trident was the first to record an improvement, taking provisional pole with a 1:42.747.
Aron then provided the next best effort, lowering the time to beat until Bearman delivered a 1:42.217 to take the top spot. Into the final three minutes and the drivers began their next set of push laps. Crawford lifted his DAMS into third. Bearman bailed on his final lap leaving Maini to finish just 0.020s down.
The full top 10 is – P1: Bearman, P2: Maini, P3: Crawford, P4: Martins, P5: Fittipaldi, P6: Antonelli, P7: Hauger, P8: Hadjar, P9: Verschoor and P10: Aron.
However… Ollie Bearman has now been withdrawn from F2 this weekend as he makes his F1 debut for Ferrari to replace Carlos Sainz who has appendicitis.
Isack Hadjar made a fine start to the opening round of the weekend in Sakhir by topping the timesheets in Free Practice. The Campos Racing driver left it late in the session to complete a lap of 1:45.099 to lead MP Motorsport rookie Franco Colapinto by 0.137s.
As the lights turned green, most teams opted to keep their cars in the pitlane although Hadjar was the first driver out on track to complete a lap, however it was his Campos teammate Josep Maria Marti who set the early benchmark with a time of 1:45.849.
But then the Rodin Motorsport pair of Zane Maloney and Ritomo Miyata, with the former going to the top of the leaderboard with a time of 1:45.588.
Now with the session winding down to a close and the drivers now returning to the track for a final few laps, Hadjar secured the top spot.
Qualifying-
Kush Maini scored his maiden pole position in FIA Formula 2 as he beat out teammate Gabriel Bortoleto to seal a P1 start for Saturday’s Feature Race.
On his final attempt in Qualifying, Maini completed a lap of 1:41.696 to go to the top of the timesheets, Bortoleto followed his teammate across the line two-tenths off the pole-winning effort.
It was Maini who set the early pace for Invicta Racing, aided by a strong middle sector, he completed a lap of 1:42.533 to lead Hauger by just 0.045s.
With 10 minutes gone, the driver returned to the pitlane for some fresher tyres. However, that was when Campos elected to send Hadjar and Josep Maria Marti out on track for the first time in the session.
The rest of the field then emerged from the pit lane ahead of their final runs with Maloney going fastest. But the Bajan’s time was quickly eclipsed by the Invicta pair.
Maloney and a number of other drivers including ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins, made their second attempts at the top spot, but with the Pirelli rubber not offer more than one push lap.
However… Kush Maini has been disqualified from the final Qualifying classification after his Invicta Racing car was found in breach of the Technical Regulations.
The Stewards found that the height of the left undertray front external strake of the car was below the required minimum height and therefore not in line with the Technical Regulations.
As a consequence, all of Maini’s times set during the Qualifying session has been removed. And will be starting the Sprint Race & Feature Race from the back of the grid. Instead, Gabriel Bortoleto has inherited pole position.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bortoleto, P2: Hadjar, P3: Maloney, P4: Hauger, P5: Miyata, P6: O’Sullivan, P7: Fittipaldi, P8: Martins, P9: Barnard and P10: Crawford.
The 2024 Formula 2 grid is now complete following PHM AIX Racing’s announcement that Taylor Barnard will be making the step up from Formula 3.
The Brit progresses to F2 after racing for Jenzer Motorsport last year in F3, finishing 10th in the Championship with the highlight being his maiden victory at the Spa-Francorchamps Feature Race.
The 19 year old, shares a strong history with PHM AIX as he raced for the in the Formula 4 UAE Championship in 2022, as well as in both the Italian and ADAC F4 categories that same year – finishing as the runner-up in the latter after achieving five wins and 10 podiums.
The following year, again with PHM AIX, he took part in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship, scoring two wins and seven podiums on his way to finishing second.
I am delighted to announce I will be competing in FIA Formula 2 with PHM AIX Racing. It is another step up the ladder towards my dream and of course I wish to be more prepared, but I will do everything in my power and more to perform.
Barnard on the news.
On behalf of the whole team I can say that we are more than pleased and happy to have Taylor onboard. Being the most successful PHM Academy Driver, it is the logical step to evaluate Taylor as best promising option to be as successful as possible. He deserves the chance and until now, he fulfilled our expectations through all classes with pure dedication, will, natural talent and speed and increasing technical precision. All these efforts brought up good results, meaning in the last three FIA F3 Rounds 2023 he was the most successful driver by points. Taylor is teaming up with Joshua Duerksen and they know each other very well. We, as a still young PHM AIX Racing team, are aware that we are facing the most competitive Grid below Formula 1. The team is highly excited to have these two extremely motivated F2 Rookies in the field and I am expecting an increasing performance throughout the season and some positive surprising results.
Trident have retained Roman Stanek for the 2024 Formula 2 season, announcing that their partnership is set to continue for a third consecutive campaign.
Stanek first raced with Trident back in 2022 when he finished fifth in his second season of FIA Formula 3, scoring one victory and pole position along with two fastest laps and four podiums.
He then made the step up to Formula 2 last year, and wound-up 18th in the Championship after scoring 15 points. Stanek’s return completes Trident’s 2024 line-up with the team having already announced that they had reunited with Dutchman Richard Verschoor.
We are delighted to continue our collaboration with Roman Stanek, who has been part of our family for a long time and was able to provide winning results in the past. We are certain that all the ingredients are there to do well and achieve increasingly ambitious goals together. The experience acquired in 2023 will prove pivotal to start the new season with the best conditions and maximum determination.
Van Amersfoort Racing have announced that they are set to continue their partnership with Rafael Villagomez, as he makes the step up to FIA Formula 2.
Villagomez joins having achieved multiple points finishes in his three years in Formula 3, including at the final round of the 2023 campaign in Monza. The 22 year old also comes with experience in F2 machinery having completed the post-season test for the team last year at Yas Marina.
This means the Mexican driver is set to race in Van Amersfoort colours for the fourth consecutive season having competed for the Dutch outfit in 2021 at the Euroformula Open Championship, and in the following two years in Formula 3.
I am very excited to step up to F2. I am ready for this next level up. The dynamics coming from an F2 car are overly impressive, but I grew great confidence after a successful post-season test in Abu Dhabi last year. The test has proven to both myself and the people around me that F2 is the right category for me to further develop myself as a driver. The team and I know each other very well, which will only be of great benefit to all of us. I look very much forward to continuing our journey together and getting the season started.
Villagomez on the news.
As a team, we always aim for long-term cooperation with our drivers. The benefits of such a long-term relationship are extremely valuable and will help Rafael to progress at a high pace, as his experience in F3 will do of course. As a result of his unparalleled determination, we’ve seen Rafael grow and mature strongly as a driver and he is ready for this next challenge. We are fully committed to offering him our continuous support, especially in this exciting next chapter of his racing career.
ART Grand Prix have announced that they have retained Victor Martins for the 2024 FIA Formula 2 season, with the Alpine Academy driver set to continue with the French outfit for a third consecutive campaign.
Martins’ relationship with ART extends back to 2020 and has proven a successful one with the Frenchman having won his first championship with the team in the Formula Renault Eurocup that year – where he won seven races to go along with 14 podiums that season.
He reunited with the team in 2022 for his second campaign in FIA Formula 3, and enjoyed a successful year as he became ART’s first F3 champion in the modern era after coming out on top in a tight championship battle.
Martins now returns for a second F2 season, after enjoying a stellar first season in 2023, which saw him earn the prize of the best rookie, having scored 10 podiums including one victory at Silverstone.
This now fills out ART’s line-up for the year with the French team having previously announced that last year’s F3 runner-up Zak O’Sullivan for 2024.
Together with ART Grand Prix, we have a mutual past that is made up of passion and success. One which has seen the crowning of several titles, I hope to add another in 2024, a decisive season for my development. But I will not have my eyes solely focused on the standings: I want to correct mistakes from last year, manage the championship over time and always strive to obtain the best possible result, whether the circumstances are favourable or complicated. There is no shortage of serious competitors in this discipline. There is also an element of unknowns with a new car, but I trust ART Grand Prix to make the most out of it. The team supplies me with all the support I need, just like Alpine, and I am holding all the cards I need to achieve my objectives.
Martins on the news.
The collaboration between ART Grand Prix and Victor dates back to 2020 when he was successfully crowned the Formula Renault champion. We did a good job and have grown together since then. Therefore, I didn’t envisage not continuing our adventure with him. His first year in Formula 2 was very good and very informative. It allowed him to constantly fight for pole positions and victories. In 2024, our common objective will logically be to erase any small mistakes from last season and win the title.
DAMS have finalised their driver pairing for the 2024 FIA Formula 2 season, announcing that Juan Manuel Correa will be joining the French team, partnering up with compatriot Jak Crawford.
The American driver made his full time return to the Championship this year with Van Amersfoort Racing, achieving six points-scoring finishes and a best result of fourth in the Spielberg Sprint Race.
Correa brings with him an abundance of single seater and sports car experience since his debut in ADAC and Italian Formula 4 in 2016. He then graduated to GP3 full time in 2018, finishing 12th overall.
A promotion to Formula 2 the following year, where he scored two second place finishes before sustaining major injuries in the tragic event at Spa-Francorchamps.
Proving his resilience and determination in the face of extensive rehabilitation, Correa made a hard-earned comeback to racing in 2021 to compete in Formula 3. His sophomore campaign last year was capped off with a podium finish in the Zandvoort Sprint Race before he made his return to the second tier with a one-off appearance at the 2022 Yas Marina season finale ahead of his 2023 campaign.
Additionally, the 24 year old claimed a European Le Mans Series victory last year and contested the 2023 World Endurance Championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
I’m delighted to be a part of DAMS for the 2024 season. I feel that it is the best place for me to continue to rebuild my career and push towards my long-term objectives. I’m eager to begin working with the team and to show what I can do on track.
Correa on the news.
We are excited to see Juan Manuel join us for 2024, he has potential and is a great team player. We’ve already seen encouraging signs that he’s forming a strong working relationship with Jak and the rest of the crew. He has shown his resilient mentality with his desire to return to racing after a very difficult period out of the sport. His ability to provide useful feedback to our engineers and his willingness to absorb new information leaves us confident that we can achieve strong results together in the coming year.
PREMA Racing have retained Oliver Bearman for the 2024 Formula 2 season, announcing that their partnership with the Ferrari Academy junior will continue for a third consecutive campaign.
Bearman’s relationship with the Italian team began in 2022, where the Brit scored one win and eight podiums on his way to finish third in Formula 3. Graduating to the second tier last year, he delivered an impressive rookie campaign, earning four wins and three pole positions to finish sixth overall.
The 18 year old has already made history on his path up through the single seater ladder since his debut campaign in 2020. In 2021, he became the first driver to clinch both the ADAC and Italian F4 Championship titles before earning a promotion to Formula 3.
I’m really happy to be joining PREMA Racing again in Formula 2. I’ve come a long way as a driver and as a person these two years thanks to them, and I’m excited to continue the work we have been doing into next season.
Bearman on the news as he looks on to build on the rapid progress he has made with the team.
It is great to have Ollie back with us for another year after the great seasons he had with us so far. The way he adapted, improved, and developed is outstanding, and we cannot wait to see what this progress will take us further down the road. We also think that the experience he had this year will help him and the team in adapting to the new car. It’s definitely going to be an interesting and promising experience.
Trident have announced that three-time Formula 2 race winner Richard Verschoor will be returning to compete for the Italian team next season.
The Dutch driver has scored a victory in each season he’s driven in since his debut campaign with MP Motorsport in 2021. 2022 saw him partner up with Trident, finishing 12th in the Standings with five podiums to his name.
Switching to Van Amersfoort Racing this year, Verschoor added a win in the Spielberg Feature Race to his tally, as well as two further podiums to his name, overall he finished the season ninth in the Drivers’ Championship.
After claiming both SMP and Spanish Formula 4 titles, in his debut single seater season, Verschoor has been a consistent performer as he progressed through the ranks. Finishing third overall with three victories in the 2017 Toyota Racing Series, he improved to second the following year alongside winning the Macau Grand Prix.
Two campaigns followed in Formula 3, with a best result of ninth in 2020 before he graduated to Formula 2 for the 2021 season.
I am thrilled to announce that I will be racing for Trident Motorsport in Formula 2 next year. After our successful collaboration in 2022, I am excited to be back with the Italian family and eager to work tirelessly on developing the new car together. I am grateful for this opportunity and ready to take on the challenges ahead!
Verschoor on the news.
We are delighted to welcome Verschoor back to our line-up. At the end of the 2022 season, he left great memories and we are really proud and motivated to have him back with us. I’m sure that we have all the ingredients needed to run a competitive season. Verschoor is a quick and experienced driver and is known for not wasting occasions. We will do our best to support him and reach some ambitious goals together.
Van Amersfoort Racing have announced that race winner Enzo Fittipaldi will be joining the Dutch team for the 2024 Formula 2 season.
Having already gotten behind the wheel for VAR at the Yas Marina post-season test, the Red Bull Junior driver says he’s hugely looking forward to the next chapter in his career as he prepares to put his experience to good use when adapting to the new F2 cars.
After making his racing debut in 2016, Fittipaldi went on to secure the 2018 Italian F4 title in his second campaign, in addition to third in the ADAC F4 Championship. Stepping up to the Formula Regional European Championship the following year, he brought home two wins and 13 podiums on his way to second in the Standings.
Two campaigns in Formula 3 followed in 2020 and 2021, where the Brazilian driver achieved his first podium finish in Budapest Race 2. This helped Fittipaldi earn a mid-season Formula 2 call up in 2021 with Charouz Racing System. Returning for a full campaign the following year, he became one of the standouts of the season, grabbing six podium finishes to claim eighth in the Drivers’ Championship.
This season, he added to that tally, triumphing in the Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps for his maiden victory. Securing a further four podium finishes with Rodin Carlin, Fittipaldi went on to finish seventh in the Drivers’ Standings.
I am very excited to be a part of Van Amersfoort Racing. The team and I had a positive first experience working together during the F2 post-season test in Abu Dhabi last week. Right now, I am looking forward to next season, which will be a new challenge for all. Racing in the new 2024 F2 cars will be exciting, and I am confident that the team and I will have a great season together.
Fittipaldi on the news.
During the F2 post-season test, we have experienced that Enzo is a great character to work with. He is a great fit for our team, and his experience in F2 will be beneficial as we head into a new era of Formula 2. We’re thrilled to have him on board and look forward to the upcoming season together.
Hitech Pulse-Eight have become the latest Formula 2 team to finalise their driver line-up for 2024, announcing that Paul Aron and Amaury Cordeel will race for them next season.
Cordeel joins the team for what will be his third season in FIA Formula 2, having completed this season with Invicta Virtuosi Racing.
He is aiming to make another step forward with the team in 2024 having achieved multiple points finishes once again at the tail end of the season.
Aron will be making the step up to the Formula 2 Championship full time after competing in his maiden F3 season in 2023. The Estonian finished third in the Drivers’ Standings, picking up one race victory and four podium finishes, before making his F2 debut at the season finale in Yas Marina.
The 19 year old has achieved multiple top three finishes on his way up the junior categories, finishing third overall in Italian F4, Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine and FIA F3 so far in his career.
I’m really pleased to be joining Hitech in F2 for 2024. It will be a really important step in my career, coming off a strong rookie season in F3 where I took third overall. I’m looking forward to developing my skills with the Hitech team and I am confident we can hit the ground running next year.
Aron on the move.
I am excited to be staying in Formula 2 for another season, this time joining Hitech on the grid. I’m ready to take on the challenge and write the next chapter of my racing journey with this incredible team. I am so grateful for the opportunity and look forward to the start of the new season in February.
Cordeel on the news.
As a team we are enthusiastic to work with our 2024 FIA F2 drivers, Amaury Cordeel and Paul Aron. Amaury has 2 years’ worth of experience in FIA F2. Showing a rise in performance in recent rounds we hope to build on this in post season testing and into next season. Paul has proved himself to be a championship contender last year in FIA F3, and the previous 2 years in FRECA. We are eager to see them both working with the team, performing on track and fighting for victories.
Rodin Carlin have finalised their driver lineup for the 2024 Formula 2 campaign, with Zane Maloney returning to the British outfit for a second season, joined by Japanese driver Ritomo Miyata.
Maloney joined the F2 team after finishing the 2022 Formula 3 campaign third overall, having put on a late season charge up the Standings. In 2023, the Bajan driver secured 10th in the Drivers’ Championship, earning four podium finishes across the season.
For Miyata, 2024 will be his first taste of F2 action, switching from Super Formula to join the British outfit. Miyata was Champion in Super Formula this season, taking two race victories and six podium finishes in his crowning campaign.
Alongside his Super Formula success, Miyata also claimed the Super GT title in 2023, with three race wins and four podiums.
I’m really pleased to be remaining with the team for the 2024 season. I feel as though I’ve learned so much this year on track and I really believe we’re in a good place to hit the ground running next year. I’ve been with the team for three out of my five years in single seaters so it’s like a family here; I’m looking forward to continuing that relationship and going for the championship together in 2024.
Maloney on the news.
I’m excited to join Rodin Carlin and participate in FIA F2 for the 2024 season. Rodin Carlin has lots of experience and have achieved great things in the series. For me, it is my first time driving a Formula 2 car and the tracks on the calendar, so I have a lot to learn but I’m really looking forward to working with the team. I would like to thank Morizo-san, TGR staff, all the partners and Rodin Carlin who created this opportunity and supported me to race in FIA F2 this season. I will do my best to meet everyone’s expectations.
Campos Racing have confirmed Isack Hadjar and Josep Maria Marti as their driver line-up for the 2024 Formula 2 campaign.
Hadjar joins Campos for his second F2 campaign after completing his rookie season with Hitech Pulse-Eight. The Red Bull Junior driver secured a maiden podium result in 2023, finishing the Spielberg Sprint Race in third position.
For Marti, 2023 will be his rookie campaign and fourth consecutive season in Campos Racing colours, The Spaniard has raced with the team every year since he began racing in single seaters, most recently achieving three race victories en route to fifth overall in the 2023 F3 Drivers’ Standings.
Marti said that the latest step up in his career was made all the more special as he continued his journey with Campos in F2.
I am really looking forward to start working with the team. I now have a year of experience in the F2 championship and with the potential of the Campos team, we will reach the top!
Hadjar on the news.
It’s a dream come true to jump into a Formula 2, it’s another step in my journey and learning to reach Formula 1 in the future. As well with Campos Racing, the team which I’ve been with through all my single seater career, it’s a very special opportunity to test here at Abu Dhabi and I’m looking forward to learning quickly and enjoying every lap! Thanks to the team, my parents and the Red Bull Junior Team for making it happen, see you on Wednesday!
Marti on the news moving up.
We are proud to have a driver line-up consisting of two Red Bull junior drivers for the 2024 FIA Formula 2 season. Isack and Pepe are two very young pilots but their skills and talent allow them to make rapid progress in every category. It will be a huge pleasure to work together and we will give our maximum to achieve the best possible results. I have no doubts that 2024 promises to be an exciting season for Campos Racing. The next season has already begun for us. Let’s rock!
Jak Crawford will be returning for a second Formula 2 campaign next year, partnering up with DAMS for the 2024 season.
The 18 year old became an F2 race winner in his rookie year, taking the Spielberg Sprint Race victory for Hitech Pulse-Eight. He went on to finish 13th in the Drivers’ Standings with a further four podium finishes and a pole position to his name.
Crawford’s single-seater career began in 2018 when the American driver finished second in the NACAM Formula 4 Championship. From there, he moved over to racing in Europe, claiming five wins and further seven podiums on his way to second in the 2020 ADAC Formula 4 Championship, alongside sixth in Italian F4.
Graduating to Formula 3 in 2021 with Hitech, he earned his maiden podium in Spa. At the same time, he achieved third in Euroformula Open, despite only racing in 16 out of the 24 races.
Returning for a second campaign the following year with Prema Racing, Crawford kept himself in title contention until the final round, eventually finishing seventh overall with one win and four more podiums before stepping up to F2 this season.
I’m very excited to be joining DAMS for 2024. I believe the team is the best place for me to be for the coming season to get the most out of myself as a driver in my second season of Formula 2. I’ve been impressed by the work ethic and achievements of the squad. I believe that together, we can achieve strong results in next year’s campaign. Our goal for next year is to make the absolute most of every race weekend. I’m looking forward to joining up with DAMS in the post-season test to begin working with them ahead of next season.
Crawford on the news.
We’re delighted to have such a young talent in Jak driving for us in next season. He has already demonstrated his ability and dedication throughout his career, and showed he is ready to compete at the front in F2 with his victory and podiums this year. We’re excited to work with him during post-season testing at Abu Dhabi and to deliver a strong 2024 campaign together.
Invicta Virtuosi Racing have confirmed their line-up for the 2024 Formula 2 season with Alpine junior Kush Maini and 2023 Formula 3 Champion, Gabriel Bortoleto joining the team.
The Indian driver competed this year with Campos Racing in what was his rookie campaign. He achieved 12 points finishes and a podium in the Melbourne Sprint Race during an impressive season.
Starting out in single seaters in Italian F4 in 2016, Maini claimed podium finishes in the series before moving up to British F3 where he finished third and second overall in 2018 and 2020 respectively. He moved up to F3 in 2022 and finished 14th before graduating to Formula 2 this year and impressing in his first full season.
Bortoleto became the first Brazilian to win the F3 title, where he took two feature race wins and a further four podiums en route to the Championship. He failed to score on just three occasions during the ’23 season, achieving an unmatched level of consistency with 15 scoring results from a possible 18.
Prior to winning the F3 title, the 19 year old achieved wins in Italian F4 and Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine between 2020 and 2022 before his move to F3.
I am very excited to announce that in the 2024 season, I will be competing with Invicta Virtuosi Racing in FIA Formula 2. They have a winning history, having secured the runner-up position in the team championship three times, and together, our goal will be to aim for the best positions for the team. In 2023, they achieved pole positions and victories, and I hope to build a strong and consistent story with them throughout the year. We will have a new car in the championship, and our first challenge will be to adapt quickly and efficiently to start the year on a high note. I am coming from a season of significant personal growth, culminating in the FIA F3 title. I hope to continue this process of evolution as a driver in 2024 and naturally become a victorious driver in the next stages of my career.
Bortoleto on moving up.
I’m super excited and grateful to be joining Invicta Virtuosi Racing for the 2024 FIA Formula 2 championship. They have a great pedigree in Formula 2 and, prior to that, in GP2, and I am looking forward to growing further as a racing driver with the team. A massive thank you to Invicta Virtuosi for putting their trust in me and to the Alpine Academy and my management team for their support. I’ll do my best to hopefully bring many trophies back to the workshop.
Maini on the switch.
We’re delighted to have Gabriel Bortoleto joining us for his debut season in Formula 2. His consistency throughout his rookie campaign in Formula 3 impressed everyone and earned him a convincing and thoroughly deserved championship victory. This was acknowledged by the world of F1 as he became a McLaren Development Driver. Gabriel has visited us at our base in Norfolk and kept in touch since his signing. He’s left a good impression on everyone here and has quickly become part of the team. We were impressed by his adaptation to Formula 3 and, like everyone, are excited to see what he can do in 2024 as he continues to hone and add to his already admirable skillset. Kush has had a solid debut season in Formula 2. He got up to speed immediately and was able to produce good results in 2023. We’ve already spent considerable time with Kush since he first signed for the team and his mentality and approach align well with ours. He has shown dedication and an impressive work effort, and we look forward to helping him add to his F2 podium tally as he continues to improve as a racing driver. He joins Gabriel Bortoleto at the team for 2024, and we are expecting to achieve big things with such a strong duo at the wheel.
Getting a better launch off the line, Vesti stole the inside line into Turn 1 and went side by side with Fittipaldi, though the Rodin Carlin driver emerged out of Turn 3 ahead.
Capitalising on their duel, Hadjar and Verschoor made it four wide down the back straight. Both managed to slip past either side of Vesti and demote the title contender to fourth. In contrast, Championship leader Pourchaire was already on the cusp of points, climbing from P14 to ninth.
The Safety Car was deployed at the end of the opening lap after Juan Manuel Correa spun at Turn 3. Victor Martins found himself caught up in it leaving him with nosecone damage and forcing him to pit for repairs.
Back to racing conditions on lap 6, Fittipaldi aced his restart, immediately pulling half a second clear of Hadjar. Vesti wasted no time making up for lost ground, squeezing up alongside Verschoor down to Turn 6 to snatch third.
On the fringes of the points, Jack Doohan steadily made his way up from P10, swooping ahead of Ayumu Iwasa after the DAMS driver went wide out of Turn 9. Meanwhile Pourchaire was trying to put together a charge of his own, going late on the brakes to wrestle eighth from Kush Maini and nosing his own way past Iwasa for 7th.
Told to push for the fastest lap, Vesti began hunting down Hadjar and was on the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver’s tail by the time they reached Lap 10. Hadjar opted to go early on the defence but couldn’t stop the Mercedes junior’s charge, as Vesti took third around the outside of Turn 9.
Vesti loomed large in Fittipaldi’s mirrors and was eyeing up moves for the lead. A lock up by the Rodin Carlin car handed Vesti a chance, but he too locked up through the Turn 5 hairpin. Fittipaldi tried to break the tow, but another mistake at the same corner three laps later was the moment for Vesti.
Benefitting from better grip, he dived up the inside of the Brazilian into Turn 6 to snatch the lead. Instantly breaking free of Fittipaldi behind, Vesti pulled out of the DRS window and reached the chequered flag a comfortable 3.8 seconds clear of the Red Bull Junior.
Day 3-
Doohan held the lead comfortably at lights out while Kush Maini cleared Martins to take second, with the latter opting for mediums for the start. Further back, Vesti was up to eighth at Turn 1, passing Richard Verschoor having also started on the yellow-walled tyres.
Starting on the softs, Pourchaire was on the cusp of the points by the end of the opening lap, but an opportunistic Oliver Bearman snatched 10th from the ART driver to leave him 11th going into lap 2.
Those on softs nursed their tyres in the early stages, and Iwasa was in as soon as the pitstop window opened on lap 7, he was joined by Pourchaire both swapping to the medium compound tyres and rejoining in 19th and 20th respectively.
Zane Maloney, Isack Hadjar and Dennis Hauger made their way to the pits on lap 9 for their mandatory stops, but a slow release for the Hitech driver dropped him behind the Norwegian on pit exit. Pourchaire was ahead of all three after a dive to the inside of Hauger at Turn 5 as he continued to make the most of his fresh rubber.
Having led from the start, Doohan relinquished the lead on lap 10 to fit the mediums. The Australian was back out in 12th position, three seconds clear of Maini, who found himself under pressure from Iwasa.
Now in clear air, Vesti set about closing the gap to new leader Martins who was six seconds up the road. That gap was down to four seconds by lap 15 as the PREMA driver took a minimum of two-tenths of a second per lap out of the Alpine Junior’s advantage.
After forcing Iwasa to depend one lap earlier, Maloney was pressuring the Dams for P5 on the road as the Japanese driver desperately attempted to keep him back. The Rodin Carlin man fought his way by at Turn 6 and was late on the brakes at Turn 9 in his efforts to keep the position, but Iwasa bravely fought back around the outside to hold on.
On lap 26, Vesti managed to pass Pourchaire into Turn 6 and once again, Pourchaire slipstreamed his way past by Turn 9. It was third time lucky for Vesti as he waited for DRS out of Turn 8 to clear his championship rival and claim fifth position.
Entering the final lpa of the season, Vesti drew to within DRS range of Maloney in the fight for third. The Bajan driver went defensive into Turn 6 opening up the chance for Vesti on the run to Turn 9. The pair banged wheel on corner exit, sending Maloney into a spin and leaving the PREMA driver in third.
Doohan secured a comfortable victory by 3.8s from Martins with Vesti rounding out the podium, but it was Pourchaire and ART Grand Prix’s day, as they secured the double with the Drivers’ and Teams’ titles.
Jordan's Track Talk 