Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
The 2024 Formula 2 title fight is going down to the wire, with three drivers in contention for the crown heading into the season finale at Abu Dhabi.
Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto tops the driver’s standings by half a point over Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar, with Hitech GP’s Paul Aron 25.5 points away from the lead.
Hadjar has been the most frequent winner across the season with four feature race victories, and has also achieved four further podiums. Bortoleto has won twice on Sunday, stepped onto the podium four more times and has shown great consistency ever since Imola. Aron made the podium in each of the seventh rounds of the season’s first half, has claimed four pole positions and the victory that had previously escaped him finally came last time out at Qatar.
“That close to the end of the season, it makes things more emotional, just funny,” Bortoleto said after Qatar’s feature race. “It’s nice to be part of a championship that will become history for sure. I don’t think there was ever a championship in F2 where two drivers were half-a-point apart going into the last round, at least I think so. It’s going to be become history.
“I would become one of the only [drivers] to win F2 and F3 in a row being a rookie, so that’s a good thing to have in your career. It’s not going to change my future anymore, but it’s something that I should be proud of. I want to win this championship and I don’t want to win just to get to F1, I want to win because we put a lot of effort in as a team, as a family to pay for each championship, all the sponsors, everyone. For me, it would be amazing to give them the result, the visibility they deserve.”
Hadjar said: “I was really worried that I didn’t maximise the result yesterday [in the sprint race]. Starting from ninth today I was ready to give up quite a few points to Gabriel. In the end to be just half a point away going to Abu Dhabi it’s great. It’s really exiting to go all in. Let’s see who gets it.
“Going to Campos for a title fight, last year on paper, I think, didn’t sound amazing. But when you look at the group of people, you see a lot of potential and sometimes it’s much more than the previous classifications, [it’s] about what you see in those people and how you can work with them. The relationship has been just really great. And to bring the title for them would mean a lot because I just love the atmosphere and the way I’m working with those guys.”
“If I was two more points closer it would mean that if I win and the other guys don’t finish then I have a chance to win the championship,” Aron commented. Nevertheless, the Estonian is determined to give his best to end the season on a high note.