Formula 2
Hadjar takes back to back feature race wins while Maini struggles as Formula 2 returns to action in Imola!
Formula 2 returned after 54 days, here’s DRC’s review for the weekend.
Formula 2 last raced in Melbourne, 54 days back. Since then the championship has had an in-season test in Barcelone and now it finally returns to racing this weekend in Imola for round 4 of the championship.
Isack Hadjar won the race for Campos Racing last time out in Melbourne and continued that form into the in-season test at Barcelona, setting the fastest time during the 3 days of testing.
Meanwhile heading into the weekend, in the Championship standings, Zane Malone tops the charts with 62 points ahead of Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Paul Aron, currently the highest-ranked rookie with 47 and second overall. Dennis Hauger remains third in the Standings just six points further back while Hadjar, thanks to his Feature Race win finds himself in fourth position with 34 points. Kush Maini finds himself one point back in fifth place for Invicta Racing.
In the team’s championship, Rodin leads with 78 points, Campos’ recent results have put them closest to the top team on 60. Hitech are third currently just three more points further back from their Spanish rivals. MP Motorsport aren’t far behind on 54 points in fourth position while Invicta round out the top five currently with 48 points in their column.
Qualifying
Gabriel Bortoleto took pole position in a dramatic Imola Qualifying session marked by track limits violations. The Invicta Racing driver posted the fastest lap of 1:27.056, beating out PREMA Racing’s Oliver Bearman and Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar.
Bortoleto initially led with a 1:28.044, then improved to 1:27.739. After a pit stop for new Pirelli Supersoft tyres, Bearman briefly took the lead with a 1:27.111 before Bortoleto reclaimed the top spot on his final lap. Bearman and teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli had their times briefly deleted for track limits but were later reinstated.
Joshua Duerksen secured P5, followed by Championship leader Zane Maloney. Roman Stanek finished P7, with Paul Aron in eighth. Franco Colapinto took P9, while Amaury Cordeel qualified tenth, securing reverse grid pole for the Sprint Race.
Kush Maini qualified in 14th place, however his time was deleted and he then moved back to 17th on the grid for both races.
Sprint Race
MP Motorsport’s Franco Colapinto achieved his first Formula 2 win with a dramatic last-lap overtake on Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Paul Aron during the Sprint Race at Imola. Colapinto, who initially lost a position at the start, fought back from P3 to claim victory, while Championship leader Zane Maloney of Rodin Motorsport secured third place.
Aron made a strong start from P3, overtaking Colapinto and teammate Amaury Cordeel to lead into Turn 3. A Safety Car was deployed after Roman Stanek and Isack Hadjar collided, causing a chain reaction involving Joshua Duerksen, Enzo Fittipaldi, and Dennis Hauger.
Racing resumed on Lap 6, with Aron extending his lead. Cordeel’s mistake on the next lap allowed Colapinto to move into second. By Lap 9, Colapinto was closing in on Aron, and Cordeel was under pressure from Maloney, Oliver Bearman, and Gabriel Bortoleto.
On Lap 12, Colapinto was within DRS range of Aron, while Maloney overtook Cordeel on Lap 22 for his fourth podium of the year. On the final lap, Colapinto made a decisive move at Tamburello to take the lead and secure his first win. Aron finished second, with Maloney third. Cordeel took fourth, followed by Bearman in fifth, who held off Bortoleto.
“I’m super happy, first win in Formula 2, it’s a very special day for me and for every Argentinian that has been supporting me so far. I’m super proud of the team, very proud of everyone who has been supporting me. Thank you, thank you. Thank you to all the fans and let us hope for more wins in the next few races.”
-Franco Colapinto, MP Motorsport
Kush made up 8 places at the start of the race to go from P17 to P9 in the first lap but failed to improve from there and finished the race in 9th. Taylor Barnard who initially finished in 7th was disqualified from the sprint as he failed to engage the start set-up procedure as required. This promoted Kush to P8, the final point-paying position.
Feature race:
Isack Hadjar secured his second win of the season in a thrilling Imola Feature Race for Campos Racing, moving up from third on the grid. Despite a strong challenge from Gabriel Bortoleto of Invicta Racing, who had to settle for second, Hadjar’s defensive skills ensured his victory. Joshua Duerksen of AIX Racing claimed his and the team’s first F2 podium by finishing third.
Pole-sitter Bortoleto had a slow start, dropping to fourth and allowing Oliver Bearman to take the lead, followed by Hadjar and Duerksen. Bearman struggled to shake off Hadjar, who stayed within DRS range. After the first round of pit stops, Hadjar and Duerksen swapped their Supersofts for Mediums, with Hadjar taking the effective race lead as Bearman stalled twice in the pitlane.
By Lap 10, all drivers on Supersoft tyres had pitted, leaving those on Prime tyres out on the track. Amaury Cordeel led the pack, followed by Josep María Martí, Juan Manuel Correa, Victor Martins, Kush Maini, and Rafael Villagómez. Bortoleto began to close the gap to Hadjar, narrowing it to 1.3 seconds by Lap 16.
Further back, Championship leader Zane Maloney was stuck behind Roman Stanek and losing ground. Jak Crawford eventually overtook Maloney and then Stanek by Lap 25. By Lap 30, drivers on alternative strategies began pitting, but bad stops for Cordeel and Martí, where both had tyres come off, ruled them out of the race.
In the final laps, Bortoleto closed in on Hadjar, but the Frenchman held firm to claim victory. Duerksen finished third, making history as the first Paraguayan driver on the F2 podium.
“Really happy with the Feature Race win today after yesterday’s disappointment. Unbelievable job by the team, it was a really intense race with Gabriel, but we were really flying today and to take that win is great, so on to Monaco now.”– Isack Hadjar, Capos Racing.
Antonelli finished fourth, followed by Colapinto and Aron. Crawford and Correa secured P7 and P8 for DAMS Lucas Oil, while Victor Martins climbed from the back to finish ninth, with Richard Verschoor rounding out the top ten.
Kush Maini finished the race in 14th place after choosing to stay out late in the alternate strategy hoping for a safety car to help him with the pit stop, but there was no safety car during the race and the Invicta driver had to settle out of the points.
Championship Standings
Zane Maloney remains at the top of the Drivers’ Championship despite finishing 11th, though his lead has shrunk to just five points over Paul Aron. Isack Hadjar’s latest performance moves him into the top three, with 59 points, only nine behind Maloney. Gabriel Bortoleto’s strong showing in Imola places him fifth in the Championship with 38 points. Kush Maini finds himself 8th in the standings with 34 points
In the Teams’ Standings, Campos Racing now leads with 85 points, thanks to Hadjar’s victory, just one point ahead of Rodin Motorsport. Hitech Pulse-Eight is in third with 78 points, closely followed by MP Motorsport, while Invicta Racing holds the fifth spot.
Up next
The championship heads to the streets of Monaco this weekend for the season’s second double header. The Indian audience can catch all the sessions live on Fancode and F1TV.
Formula 2
Formula 2: Final Stop of The Triple Header in Barcelona
After 2 back to back racing weekends in Imola and Monaco, Formula 2 now heads to Barcelona for the final stop of the triple header.
The Formula 2 paddock makes its final stop of the triple header at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for another weekend of intense racing action. The last 2 weekends at Imola and Monaco have given us unpredictable races, let’s see what Barcelona has to offer this weekend.
Championship Battle Tight as Ever
The championship battle is tight as ever in Formula 2, the top 3 are separated by only 6 points. Luke Browning leads the championship after a good haul of points in Monaco saw him replace Alex Dunne at the top. The Williams Academy driver is yet to win a race, but he has been consistently stacking up points to emerge as a championship contender.
Alex Dunne was leading the championship coming into Monaco and even got the pole position for the Feature Race. A win in the feature race would have meant that he would have extended the lead in the championship. But, an impatient move into Turn 1 to keep his lead resulted in him going into the side of Victor Martins, eventually leading to a pile-up which saw a total of 7 cars retire. He is still second in the championship, 3 points behind Browning.
Kush Riding On a Wave of Confidence
After making history in Monaco, becoming the first indian to win on the streets of the principality, Kush Maini is full of confidence heading into Barcelona, a circuit where he had good success last time around. Last year, Kush got a Sprint race podium and a solid P6 in the feature race at Barcelona. Full of confidence and heading to a circuit he likes, Kush will be looking to get some solid results before the short break.
We’ve had a very rocky start, with a lot of things going wrong. Some things were in our control, some things not, but our season starts today and there’s still a long way to go for us, so this is a positive note to take forwards. – Kush Maini after his win in Monaco.
Hitech TGR vs Campos
The top 2 teams in the standings are separated by just 7 points. Both Hitech and Campos this year have been very consistent in their performances. Hitech, courtesy of Luke Browning, who has been on the podium every single race weekend this season, leads Campos narrowly. But these teams have been in Formula 2 long enough to understand the season is still very long and it all can change in just a couple of weekends.
Where to watch Formula 2 in India
You can watch all the sessions of Formula 2 live in India on Fancode and F1TV. The schedule for the weekend in IST is given below:
Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X/, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.
Formula 2
Formula 2: DAMS Double in Monaco as Maini Makes History
Kush Maini became the first Indian to win around Monaco in Formula 2. Jack Crawford wins on Sunday to make it a DAMS double in Monte Carlo.
When Formula 2 visits Monaco, chaos is almost guaranteed, and this weekend was no exception. The Sprint Race made history as Kush Maini became the first-ever Indian to win on the iconic streets of Monte Carlo. On Sunday, DAMS completed the double, with Jack Crawford winning one of the most unpredictable Feature Races of the season.
READ MORE: Formula 2 Round 5: Streets of Monaco Await an Epic Thriller
Saturday: Maini Writes History for India
Kush Maini was coming to Monaco after having the worst start to his Formula 2 season. In the seven races leading up to Monaco, Kush had a best finish of 10th and had scored just one point. There was something that was just not clicking for him this year. There was no doubt about the pace Maini possesses, this is the same driver who surprised everyone two years ago in his debut season, constantly challenging for top spots in qualifying in a team that was not very competitive that year. But for some reason, by luck or by chance, it just wasn’t working out for him.
Just last weekend in Imola, when Kush was finally getting into rhythm to show what he is capable of, finishing P3 in practice and then challenging for the top 5 in qualifying, he made a mistake and crashed out on his flying lap. That brought out the red flag, and as per regulations, his fastest lap was deleted, dropping him to 13th. That weekend, from then on, was another one to forget. Coming into Monaco, Kush was again looking for that one moment that would give him that confidence boost.
Due to the nature of Monaco, F2 does its qualifying in groups. Drivers are divided into Group A and B based on their competition number, and whoever is the fastest in either group gets pole. But here’s the interesting bit: pole in Monaco is on the left side. So, for example, if a driver from Group A gets pole, then everyone in Group A will start on the left side—i.e., in positions 1, 3, 5, 7, and so on. This means that even if you’re in Group A and your time is good enough to put you P2, you’d still start P3 if the fastest driver from Group B gets to start on the other side of the grid.
Kush was in Group A. His time put him fifth fastest in the group, which meant he would either start P9 or P10 based on the results of Group B. Alex Dunne, in Group B, put in a banker lap to set the fastest time of qualifying, faster by three-thousandths of a second than Victor Martins, who was fastest in Group A. This meant everyone in Group B would start on the left side, i.e., odd-numbered positions and everyone in Group A would start on the right, the even-numbered positions. Kush was supposed to start the Feature Race from P10, but the most important bit: he would start the reverse grid Sprint Race from pole.
Come the Sprint Race, and Kush made the perfect getaway, keeping his lead going into Turn 1 at lights out. From then on, it was all about keeping control of the race. Alongside him on the front row, Luke Browning had a terrible start, getting swallowed by three cars, allowing Gabriel Minì to overtake him and slot into second, along with Jack Crawford and Arvid Lindblad, who were third and fourth.
From here on out, all Maini had to do was keep his calm and not make a mistake, which, when you’re driving around Monaco, is not the easiest thing to do. But the Indian driver drove brilliantly to take the chequered flag and claim his first-ever win in Monaco, also the first-ever win for India on the streets of the principality.
Some of Kush’s earlier bad results could be chalked up to bad luck or circumstance, but it was that very same twist of fate that handed him the reverse grid pole and ultimately the victory in Monaco. His lap time was good enough for P7, which under normal conditions would have placed him fourth on the reverse grid. And from there, it’s anyone’s guess how the race might have unfolded.
“P1, first Indian to win in Monaco too. It’s a great honour and a dream come true. I want to say thank you to DAMS and everyone who has supported me. We keep believing!” – Kush Maini after his win in Monaco.
Sunday: Jack Crawford Wins Carnage-Packed Feature Race
Jack Crawford secured his second win of the season in a race full of chaos on the streets of Monaco. A perfectly timed stop before the Safety car helped the American take the win on the streets of Monaco.
Starting on Pole, Alex Dunne had Victor Martins to accompany him on the front row. At the start, Martins got a better launch to be ahead of Dunne into the first corner, but Dunne was not ready to let go of the inside line, and the two made contact, leading to a chain reaction of crashes which saw 5 more drivers get involved and ultimately retire from the race.
After a lengthy Red Flag, Leonardo Fornarolli would lead a rolling restart of the race, with the cars lining up based on the qualifying positions minus the retirements. After the race restarted, Fornarolli led the pack with Lindblad leading Montoya and Lindblad with Crawford in fourth.
Virtual Safety Car was deployed when Dino Beganovic went into the barriers at Casino Square, which would then be upgraded to a full safety car. The timing of the safety car was such that the top 3 had passed the pit entry, but Crawford was at the perfect position to make his stop. The top 3 came around and made their stop,s but Crawford had done enough to take the race lead.
Once the safety car was not withdrawn and the race was red-flagged as the barrier needed repairs. Crawford crossed the line to take the win with Fornaroli in second. Lindblad crossed the line in third but was handed a 5-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane, dropping him to fifth and promoting Montoya to third.
Up Next in Formula 2
Formula 2 now heads to Barcelona, to make its final stop of the intense triple header from 30th May to 1st June.
Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.
Formula 2
Formula 2 Round 5: Streets of Monaco Await an Epic Thriller
After wrapping their weekend in Imola, Formula 2 now heads to the streets of Monaco for another weekend of intense racing action.
No off days for the Formula 2 paddock as they move to Monaco fresh from their weekend at Imola for their second stop of the triple header. Qualifying is key in winning at Monaco, but Zak O Sullivan proved the theory wrong after winning the Feature Race, having started all the way back at 15th on the grid. Monaco is a race every driver wants to win, with Formula 2 giving you 2 chances of ticking that box, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
Alex Dunne Heading the Pack into Monaco
Alex Dunne won the Feature Race from 5th on the grid after a brilliant drive in Imola last weekend. This also helped the Irishman jump to the top of the championship standings with 64 points. Dunne has won 2 Feature Races till now, interestingly if you remove those races then he only has 14 points, showing how just a couple of races can change your fortunes in this championship. Dunne would be aware of that fact, and would not let his guard down heading into Monaco as the top 3 are all within 10 points of each other.
Not your traditional Qualifying
Formula 2, unlike Formual 1, has a single 30 minute long qualifying session. This means all 22 drivers are out at the same time, fighting for pole position, unlike Formula 1 where the grid keeps reducing in size unless you only have 10 drivers in the hunt for pole. The tight nature of the Monaco circuit can make it difficult for drivers to get a clean lap in among all the traffic on the streets. It is for this reason that the championship divides it’s group into two qualifying groups.
Battle Heats up in Teams’ Championship
The battle for the Team’s Championship is heating up as the top 2 teams are seperated by only 1 point. Hitech TGR leads Campos Racing in the Teams’ Championship thanks to a double podium in Imola. The pair has made some distance between them and the other teams with a 20 point gap, but this gap can be overcome in just one race if your drivers do well, and it is very likely that we could see a third team apart from them leading the Teams’ Championship when we leave Monaco.
Kush Maini Looking to Turn Things Around
Kush Maini is having his worst start to a Formula 2 season. In the previous years we have seen him be competetive at the start of the year, fight for the top spots and show brilliant one lap pace. This year, it seemed to have vanished. We did see some flashes of pace from the Indian driver after he finished P3 in Pracice at Imola and was looking for a strong top 10 finish in Qualifying before crashing out and bringing out the red flag. Monaco has historically not been a good track for Kush, but history is nothing to go by in this championship where you can change your fortunes in just one race. A good weekend in Monaco will boost Maini’s confidence and help him in Barcelona just next weekend.
Schedule and Where to Watch Formula 2 in India
You can watch all the Formula 2 sessions live on Fancode or F1TV in India. Complete schedule for the weekend is given below in IST.
Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.
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