The weekend at Hungary was action-packed, just as you would expect Formula 2 to be. The championship rivals had a bad outing, giving everyone else a chance to catch up to them. While Kush Maini scored his first in F2. Here are the top talking points from Hungary.
Kush Maini finally became a race winner in Formula 2. After qualifying P9 for the feature race, Maini would start the sprint race on the reverse grid front row. Verschoor was on Pole and was starting on hard tyres, just like Kush. At the start, both Maini and Verschoor got off the line well, but Kimi Antonelli who was starting on softs got past them. Maini, in P3, kept piling the pressure on Verschoor in P2. Eventually, Antonelli’s Softs ran out of rubber and a lock-up from him helped Verschoor and Maini get past the Prema driver. Maini finished in P2 behind Verschoor, but a post-race disqualification meant the Indian driver was promoted to the top step.
Kush Maini scored valuable points in the Feature Race, starting from P9 on the alternate strategy and finishing P7. He took home 16 points from Hungary, marking his tied second-best weekend in terms of points.
Kimi Antonelli wins the Feature Race on the alternative strategy.
Kimi had a weekend full of gambles in Hungary. In the Sprint Race, Kimi gambled to start on Softs while the majority were on Hards. The gamble didn’t pay off as his tyres wore off before the end of the race and he had to pit for fresh rubber. In the Feature Race, Kimi again gambled on the alternative strategy. This time, however, it worked perfectly. Two Safety Car interventions helped Kimi utilize his alternative strategy perfectly.
Making use of his fresh Softs while everyone ahead of him was on old Hards, Kimi Antonelli took his first Feature Race victory in Formula 2.
Bad outing for Championship rivals
Both Championship rivals had a tough weekend in Hungary. The championship leader Isack Hadjar left Hungary with just 7 points. Finishing 4th in the Sprint Race, he was then promoted to P3 following Verschoor’s disqualification. In the Feature Race, Hadjar who was supposed to start from P3 was going to start from the pitlane instead. The Campos driver failed to leave the pits in time before the pit lane closed. After that, there wasn’t much Hadjar could do and he finished the race 18th.
His closest rival Paul Aron scored a combined 5 points during the weekend. The weekend started well for Aron, scoring the pole position for the Feature Race. This meant he’d start P10 for the reverse grid Sprint Race. He climbed up 3 spots to finish P7, later getting promoted to P6. In the Feature Race, Aron got a poor launch off the line, and then a huge lockup into turn 1 dropped him down to seventh. On Lap 7, Aron went into the back of Zane Maloney, causing both drivers to spin into a stop.
DISASTER FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS! 😫
Paul Aron misjudged this move and collided with Zane Maloney to the relief of Isack Hadjar, who was having his own trouble 🫣#F2#HungarianGPpic.twitter.com/wnwT29qaSu
This gave other drivers to close some gap to the top. Gabriel Bortoleto currently sits P3 in the standings, 30 points shy of the top.
Everything to play for in the Teams’ Championship
The top three teams in the Formula 2 championship are separated by only nine points. Invicta Racing enjoying a good weekend to climb to the top of the standings.
Next Up
Formula 2 heads to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for Round 10 of the championship. You can watch all the sessions live on F1TV and Fancode.
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NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JULY 07: Isack Hadjar of France and Campos Racing (20) leads Zane Maloney of Barbados and Rodin Motorsport (5) during the Round 8 Silverstone Feature race of the Formula 2 Championship at Silverstone Circuit on July 07, 2024 in Northampton, England. (Photo by James Sutton - Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Budapest hosts Formula 2 for Round 9 of the championship. The Hungaroring will be first stop of the double header before we head to the summer break. Here are DRC’s top 5 storylines heading into Budapest. Read the Round 8 review here.
Hadjar will look to maintain his championship lead.
Hadjar has finally regained the championship lead that he lost to Paul Aron earlier in the season. In the last 6 Feature Races, Hadjar has 3 wins and 2 more podiums to his name. His worst result in those feature races was a fifth place finish in Barcelona.
(Photo by James Sutton – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Hadjar is currently 16 points ahead of second placed Paul Aron in the championship. The campos driver will be looking to extend this lead over the double header.
Aron looking to make a comeback after a disappointing Silverstone
Paul Aron went into Silverstone hoping to end his winless streak in Formula 2. Things didn’t go as planned and he failed to score a single point in Silverstone. Having scored a podium in each of the seven opening rounds, not scoring a point in the eighth round was disappointing. This resulted in Aron losing his championship lead to rival Isack Hadjar.
(Photo: Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
The Hitech driver will look to bounce back in Hungary. With just 16 points adrift of the top, a solid weekend can close that gap down. The results in Silverstone being majorly affected by his spin in qualifying. However, he was on provisional pole before the spin and showed good pace in the races as well. Aron will definitely be the one to watch as he now hunts for his first win and also the championship lead.
Zane Maloney looking to build on Silverstone success
Even though Maloney didn’t get a win in Silverstone, but 2 podiums in both races meant he had his second best weekend of the season so far. The Rodin driver won both races in Bahrain, getting a start people could only dream of. But, the form dipped with the Bajan scoring only 1 podium in the next 6 weekends. Silverstone was a turn in form with Maloney scoring two P2 finishes.
(Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
The solid weekend in Silverstone has put Maloney P3 in the championship standings. Coming into Budapest, Maloney will look to build on his success from last round.
Maini will look to turn his mixed weekends into solid ones
The Indian driver has scored 2 podiums in the last 3 rounds. But the performance is still far off from what people expected out of him. Having challenged for race wins and pole positions at the start of the year, that form has seen a dip since Imola. It was reported that he had a cracked chassis in Imola and Monaco. In Spain he had a brand new chassis and the form improved. Ever since then it has been a mixed bag of results.
Nice to get a podium in the sprint at Silverstone. Unfortunatley, brake issues in the feature race meant no points on Sunday. Our time will come @invictaracingpic.twitter.com/LZrtNu9n9P
Heading into Hungary, the Indian driver will be looking to put it all together and have a solid weekend. Hungaroring is also the track where Maini scored his first and only Formula 3 podium.
Teams’ title fight heating up
The 2024 Formula 2 teams’ title fight is intensely competitive, with Campos Racing currently leading by 23 points. Rodin Motorsport initially dominated, but their momentum waned, allowing teams like Hitech Pulse-Eight and MP Motorsport to close in. The top five teams are closely matched, with only 51 points separating them. As the season progresses, the standings are expected to remain volatile, setting the stage for a thrilling conclusion. With numerous races left, including unpredictable circuits like Baku and Lusail, the title fight is far from over.
(Photo- Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Schedule and Where to Watch.
You can watch Formula 2 live in India on F1TV and Fancode. The full weekend schedule is as follows.
NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JULY 05: Pole position qualifier Isack Hadjar of France and Campos Racing (20) celebrates in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of Round 8 Silverstone of the Formula 2 Championship at Silverstone Circuit on July 05, 2024 in Northampton, England. (Photo by James Sutton - Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Isack Hadjar took pole and a win in Silverstone to retake the Formula 2 championship lead in Silverstone. Here are the storylines from the weekend.
Disaster Weekend for Paul Aron
Paul Aron coming to Silverstone had a podium each round, this streak ended in Silverstone. Not only did he fail to score a podium, but he also didn’t score any points at all. The Estonian driver qualified P12 after making an error and spinning out with 10 minutes left in the session. This left him with major flat spots while everyone else improved their times. In the Sprint Race Aron collided with Martí and it left both out of the race. In the Feature Race, Aron finished outside the points in P12. Having lost his Championship lead, Aron would be looking to take it back in Hungary.
Isack Hadjar had a mixed weekend but most of it was on the good side. Qualifying on Pole, Hadjar started the Sprint race in P10. The Campos driver beached his car on lap 8 straight into Copse. The next day in the feature race Hadjar had a bad start starting from pole and fell back. Hadjar then drove brilliantly to come back into the race and was running P2 behind Crawford. A 5s time penalty for Crawford meant Hadjar who was only 2.5s behind would take the victory after the penalty was applied.
(Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Heading into Budapest as the championship leader, Hadjar would look to extend his lead on top.
“Race winner on Sunday, unfortunately not on track like we wanted. But still, it was a really fun race with lots going on and I managed to bring those points home. Already looking forward to Budapest.”
Isack Hadjar after the feature race
Zane Maloney takes Double Podium
Maloney didn’t get any race wins but scored 2 crucial podium finishes to climb up to 3rd in the championship standings. An uneventful sprint race as Maloney started P2 and finished P2 as well. The Feature Race however was anything but uneventful. The Bajan driver had a great start to move up 3 places. He then went on to manage his tyres and pace well to finish P2 after Crawford’s penalty. After scoring 0 points last weekend, Maloney would be happy to bounce back with two P2s.
(Image: Formula 2 via Getty Images)
Andrea Kimi Antonelli gets his first win.
The Mercedes Junior was having a lackluster season in Formula 2, delivering performances below everyone’s expectations of him. The prime candidate for the Mercedes seat, he had to step up to show everyone that he deserved the seat. Having started from the reverse grid pole in the Sprint Race, Kimi excelled in mixed conditions to finish P1.
“Got my first win, really happy with the result. It was a difficult race in difficult conditions, but we managed pretty well and I’m really happy to bring home the first win of the season.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelly
The feature race ended early for the Italian after being sent into a spin by Kush Maini on the opening lap. An overall decent weekend and the Sprint Race victory will only motivate him to push for being constantly at the front.
Image credits: Formula 2 via Getty Images
Mixed weekend for Kush Maini
The Indian driver had another mixed weekend in Silverstone, similar to what he had in Austria one week back. The pace was looking strong for Maini in qualifying, but traffic hampered his final push lap resulting in him qualifying P8. On the reverse grid for the Sprint Race, Maini started P3 and finished P3 too, but the race was not as simple as it looks like. The Alpine junior driver was holding position in mixed conditions after being under constant pressure from his teammate. On the last lap, Bortoleto made a move on Maini on the last corner, overtaking him to finish P3. Later on the stewards deemed the move illegal, as Bortoleto overtook outside the track. This resulted in Maini getting back the 3rd place.
In the feature race, Maini tapped Kimi from behind, sending the Prema driver into a spin and giving Maini damage. This forced Maini to make an early pit stop. After that, the race was pretty much uneventful for the Indian who crossed the finish line in P19. Maini also got a 10s time penalty for the opening lap incident, but that didn’t affect his finishing position.
Championship Standings
Isack Hadjar moves to the top of the Championship ahead of Paul Aron, 133 points to 117. Zane Maloney improved his position in third, now on 101 points with Gabriel Bortoleto fourth on 98. Franco Colapinto is P5 on 92 points.
In the Teams’ Standings, Campos Racing lead with 171 points ahead of MP Motorsport in second on 158. Invicta Racing are just two points back in third position, while Hitech Pulse-Eight and Rodin Motorsport round out the top five with 142 and 120 points respectively.
Formula 2 will take a week off and head to Budapest for Round 9 of the championship from July 19-21.
SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA - JUNE 28: Paul Aron of Estonia and Hitech Pulse-Eight (17) drives on track during practice ahead of Round 7 Spielberg of the Formula 2 Championship at Red Bull Ring on June 28, 2024 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by James Sutton - Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
It’s the final leg of the triple header and Formula 2 will be in town for Round 8 of the championship. Halfway through the season, and it still feels too early to call the championship. Here are the storylines heading into Round 8 of the Formula 2 championship.
Paul Aron is still at the top
The Estonian driver has continued his streak of scoring a podium in every round of the championship. A P3 in the Sprint and a P5 in the Feature Race helped Aron stay at the top of the championship. Still yet to win a race this year, he could be eyeing the top step in Silverstone.
Paul Aron of Hitech Pulse-Eight (17) (Photo by James Sutton – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Bortoleto is fresh off of a win
The reigning F3 champion got his first win in F2 last weekend in Austria. This helped the McLaren junior climb 3 spots from before in the championship standings. Sitting third in the championship, Bortoleto would look to build on his win last weekend and close the gap in the championship. Sitting just 32 points off the lead, the next few rounds could prove pivotal for the Brazilian if he wants to mount a championship challenge.
Gabriel Bortoleto of Invicta Racing (10) (Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Win and a Promotion within a week for Bearman
Oliver Bearman had been having a lackluster season in Formula 2 till now. Having impressed in his Rookie season last year, there’s something about the new-gen cars that doesn’t click for Bearman. Coming into Austria the Prema driver had scored just 18 points in 5 rounds (he missed the Saudi round to fill in for Carlos Sainz). However, in Austria, the Ferrari Academy driver got his first win of the season. On the reverse grid, the Brit started on the front row, a good start helped him lead into turn 1 which he converted into a race win. It was announced today that Bearman will drive for Ferrari customer Haas F1 Team in 2025.
Kush Maini had a disappointing time out in Austria. The Indian driver scored only 2 points in the weekend, both of which came in the sprint race. Having started on reverse grid Pole position for the sprint race, Kush failed to convert it into a win. He lost ground at the start and just couldn’t turn things around in the race, losing more positions to eventually finish 7th. In the feature race, he stalled on the grid, forcing him to start from the pitlane. To come back from a pitlane start in the race was a tough ask, especially when there were no safety car interruptions. The Alpine Academy driver finished 17th in the race.
Coming into Silverstone, Kush has said it’s his favourite track on the calendar. The Track has also given at least 1 F2 driver their first win in the championship since 2020. Could this be the fateful weekend that Kush needs?
📊| Since 2020, Silverstone has given at least 1 F2 driver their first win in the championship: Yuki Tsunoda in 2020 Richard Verschoor in 2021 Jack Doohan in 2022 Victor Martins in 2023
Kush Maini earlier said that Silverstone is his "favourite track of the year"
This weekend in FP1 we have a few of Formula 2 drivers making an appearance in Formula 1’s First Free Practice session.
Isack Hadjar will return to drive for Red Bull Racing, jumping into Sergio Perez’s car. He made two FP1 appearances in 2023 – one for AlphaTauri (now RB) in Mexico, and one for Red Bull in Abu Dhabi. Williams Junior Franco Colapinto will be with the British team. The MP Motorsport driver is 5th in the standings and enjoyed a Feature Race podium last time out in Austria. Oliver Bearman who’s already been confirmed to drive for Haas in 2025 will be making another Practice appearance for the team. Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan will drive Pierre Gasly’s car in FP1 this weekend.
Timings and Where to Watch
You can watch all the sessions live in India on Fancode or F1TV. Full schedule of the weekend in IST is given below:
SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA - JUNE 30: Race winner Gabriel Bortoleto of Brazil and Invicta Racing (10) celebrates in parc ferme during the Round 7 Spielberg Feature race of the Formula 2 Championship at Red Bull Ring on June 30, 2024 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Joe Portlock - Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Another weekend of Formula 2 wraps up. Gabriel Bortoleto scored his first win in Formula 2, and Oliver Bearman got his first win of the season. The Indian driver Kush Maini had a tough outing in Austria, leaving with only 2 points in 2 races. Here is how the Austrian leg of the triple header unfolded.
The only practice session of the weekend was topped by Isack Hadjar. The Frenchman, who’s looking to regain the championship lead started the weekend strong. The championship leader, Paul Aron, was close behind him in second. It was another close session, with the whole grid separated by just over a second. Kush Maini spent some time in the pits fixing what looked like brake issues. The Indian finished the session 21st, +1.084s off the top. Campos Racing’s Josep María Martí was disqualified from the final classification. The Spaniard could not provide the minimum 0.8kg fuel sample required by Article 6.3.1 of the FIA Formula 2 Technical Regulations.
Kush Maini’s car is being worked on in the pits. (Image: F1TV)
Qualifying
Isack Hadjar maintained momentum from Practice to set an early benchmark time in Qualifying. The Campos Racing driver set an opening time of 1:15.828, and championship leader Paul Aron slotted in 2 tenths behind. Returning to the pit lane after the first runs, Hadjar had smoke running out of his car. Forcing the Frenchman to end his qualifying early.
The final few laps started coming in with 5 minutes left in the session. Dennis Hauger topped the time sheets with a 1:15.487. Duerksen was close behind, just 0.008s off Pole. Gabriel Bortoleto rounded off the top 3.
Dennis Hauger of Norway and MP Motorsport (11) (Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Franco Colapinto qualified fourth, ahead of championship leader Paul Aron. Taylor Barnard came in 6th, putting both AIX cars in the top 6. Isack Hadjar’s first lap was good enough to put him in 7th with his teammate Josep María Martí alongside him in 8th. Oliver Bearman and Kush Maini came in 9th and 10th, making the front row for the reverse grid Sprint Race.
Sprint Race
Kush Maini started on Pole and had Ferrari Junior Oliver Bearman alongside him on the front row. Kush Maini again failed to get a good start from the pole, dropping down to P3 in the opening lap. Whereas Oliver Bearman got a superb launch to take the lead in the race at the start. Josep María Martí overtook Maini to take second place on Lap 1.
Start of Sprint Race (Image: Formula 2 media)
By the halfway stage Maini started to struggle and the distance between him and Marti in 2nd kept increasing. Eventually, Maini lost his podium place to Aron, followed by his teammate dropping him down to P5.
In the end, it was Bearman who maintained his lead from the start to finish first and took the Sprint Race victory in Austria. Marti finished second, while Aron held off Bortoleto to take the final podium position. Maini was overtaken by the two MP Motorsport drivers with Hauger finishing 5th, Colapinto in 6th, and Maini in 7th. The final point was scored by Duerksen for AIX.
Race winner Oliver Bearman of PREMA Racing (3) takes the chequered flag during the Round 7 Spielberg Sprint race of the Formula 2 Championship at Red Bull Ring on June 29, 2024 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
“Happy to be back on the podium, it’s been a tough run so far, so I’m happy to finally get a result that the team deserve. We’ve been working really hard, and we are getting towards where we want to be, so let’s go get some good points tomorrow.”
Oliver Bearman after winning the sprint race
Feature Race
There was drama before the race even started. Multiple drivers stalled on the grid during the formation lap including Pole sitter Dennis Hauger. Kush Maini and Jack Crawford were the other two to stall, the 3 drivers would then start from the pitlane.
Out on track, Duerksen was the lead car on the grid. He got off the line well to lead the race ahead of Bortoleto and Colapinto in third. Bortoleto made a move down the inside at turn 4 on Lap 4 to the lead from Duerksen. Colapinto overtook him next, dropping Duerksen down to P3.
Start of Feature Race (Image: Formula 2 Media)
Zane Maloney stopping on track brought out the VSC briefly, and racing resumed after the car was recovered. The first round of pit stops as drivers opting for the supersofts came in to switch to softs. Marti came in before Bortoleto and the undercut worked as Marti now had the effective race lead. Bortoleto would then take the lead from Marti on lap 18. On lap 24, the two Campos cars changed positions as Hadjar overtook Marti.
Colapinto came into the pits on lap 32 from the race lead. Having opted for the alternate strategy, the MP Motorsport driver was now on fresh supersofts. He came out of the pits in P8 and quickly started making his way up the grid. By lap 38, the Argentine was up to P4, he then overtook Marti on the next lap. On the final lap, Colapinto overtook Hadjar to take second from him. However, it was Bortoleto in the front who drove brilliantly to take his first win in Formula 2.
Race winner Gabriel Bortoleto of Brazil and Invicta Racing (10) (Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Colapinto took P2 ahead of Hadjar, with Martí in fourth and Fittipaldi in fifth. Aron’s penalty dropped him to P6 ahead of Duerksen and Amaury Cordeel, with Taylor Barnard in P9 and Zak O’Sullivan rounding out the points P10 for ART Grand Prix.
“P1 today in the Feature Race, so happy, it’s a special track for me. I always have good memories here, and finally I could get my first Formula 2 win. I’m super super happy, thanks to the team, McLaren and everyone that supported and helped me get on the biggest step on the podium today.”
Gabriel Bortoleto after winning the feature race.
Championship Standings
In the Championship standings, it’s Paul Aron who maintains his lead at the top. Bortoleto now slots in 3rd thanks to his Feature Race win. The Indian driver Kush Maini remains 8th in the Standings.
Spectators during the FIA Formula One World Championship 2023 in Spielberg, Austria on July 2, 2023 // Lucas Pripfl / Red Bull Ring // SI202307020692 // Usage for editorial use only //
Halfway into the 2024 season, Formula 2 will make a stop at Austria for Round 7 of the championship. Paul Aron leads the championship standings with just 9 points separating him from the Frenchman Isack Hadjar. In the Team Standings, it’s a solitary point that separates the top two. Campos Racing leads Hitech Pulse-Eight, with MP Motorsport and Invicta Racing close behind.
Paul Aron is having a debut season even he wouldn’t have expected. The Estonian driver has scored a podium in every single round till now. Championship leader with 100 points, he is yet to step on the top step. Can he finally get on the top step in Austria?
Before this, Isack was on a brilliant run, scoring 73 points in the last 3 rounds before Spain. The first 2 rounds of the championship are what could hurt Hadjar potentially in his championship fight. He scored only 5 points in the first 2 rounds, which again came at the sprint race in Bahrain. He would love to go back to winning ways in the Red Bull Ring, being a Red Bull Junior.
“It’s not going really well,” said Hadjar assessing his season as a whole.
“We had a few good rounds, I think the first two rounds didn’t really favour us.
“For me, the Championship started in Melbourne and since then we have been competitive. I’m happy with that and I think we have a really good chance to take the lead soon,” said Hadjar.
DAMS looking to continue form
DAMS Lucas Oil had their best weekend of the season in Spain. The team won both the Sprint and Feature Race with both their drivers stepping on the top step. Correa even made it a double podium for the team in the Feature Race by coming in 3rd after making the best out of his alternative strategy. Spain was the first time the team won since Monaco last year. Before Spain the team had scored a total of 46 points, in Spain alone, they scored 46 points. They currently sit 6th in the standing with 92 points.
“Let’s be humble, no big expectations,”
said Yannick Hubert, team principal of Dams
“First, we have to understand what we need in Austria, we know that it’s a Mickey Mouse track, very narrow, very small, so it will be a different challenge, so nothing to compare with here. We just have to be very focused on the next event as a single event and do the job,” said Hubert.
Kush Maini would want to build on his Spain performance
Kush had a tough few rounds before Spain, scoring only 1 point. It was later found out that his car suffered from a broken chassis. The problem having been solved in Spain did give results, with the Invicta driver scoring a podium in the Sprint race. In the Feature Race, Kush opted for the alternative strategy, which is to start on Hards and then switch to Softs towards the end. This proved fruitful as he finished P6 having started P10 in the race. When he came out of the pits he was P15, he then put in a string of consistent fast laps to move up 9 places in almost as many laps to add 8 points to his tally.
BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 23: <> during the Round 6 Barcelona Feature race of the Formula 2 Championship at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 23, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Joe Portlock - Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Formula 2 made its first stop of the triple header in Spain. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hosted Round 6 of the Formula 2 championship. Having hosted several weeks of testing here before, many of the drivers were coming to a track they have driven a lot on.
Paul Aron came into the weekend as the championship leader while Campos was leading the team’s championship. Kush Maini was looking to bounce back after having scored just 1 point in the last 2 rounds.
Free Practice
Championship leader Paul Aron set the pace in Free Practice. The Estonian driver was the fastest with a time of 1:26.922. Enzo Fittipaldi was second quickest, just 0.136 down on Aron with Colapinto rounding up the top 3.
Paul Aron of Hitech Pulse-Eight (17) (Photo by James Sutton – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Qualifying
Paul Aron continued his strong pace from Free Practice to take his first pole in Formula 2. Aron put in a time of 1:25.385 to set the benchmark in the initial run. Taylor Barnard went off at Turn 9 and into the barriers causing a red flag in the session. As a result, the winner from Monaco will start both races from the back of the grid. The session resumed with a few more drivers going out to complete their first flying laps and Isack Hadjar removed Aron from the top of the timing sheet with a time of 1:25.205.
Pole position qualifier Paul Aron of Estonia and Hitech Pulse-Eight (17) (Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
With under 10 minutes to go, the drivers headed out for their second run on fresh softs. It was Aron once again who climbed to the top with a time of 1:24.766. Jack Crawford joined Aron on the front row with just 0.002s off. Colapinto rounded the top 3 with a time of 1:24.772. Gabriel Bortaleto joined Colapinto on the second row, 0.055 off of pole. Antonelli finished inside the top 5, narrowly ahead of Ritomo Miyata in 6th.
“I did the in-season test here and have driven the track in other categories, so I have experience around this track whereas before in earlier rounds, it was the first time driving the track for me, which is difficult with Practice only being 45 minutes.
“But I have F2 experience around Barcelona, so that’s why I can fight for the top positions in Qualifying.”
Said Ritomo Miyata after qualifying 6th, his best ever this season.
Further down the order, it was Joshua Durksen in 7th, Juan Manuel Correa in 8th, and Victor Martins in 9th. Kush Maini qualified in P10 and got the Pole for the reverse grid Sprint Race.
🏁| A very close qualifying ends in F2.
Paul Aron takes pole with a gap of +0.002s 😳 Top 4 within one-tenth of a second!
🇮🇳 Kush Maini qualifies in P10, +0.433s off the front. He gets pole position for tomorrow's sprint race! #Formula2pic.twitter.com/yYxhGwWjcY
Kush Maini started the sprint race on pole and had fellow Alpine Academy driver Victor Martins on the front row. At the start, Martins got off the line well while Maini suffered wheel spin which dropped him to fourth. Ritomo Miyata got a good start from 4th on the grid as he went ahead of Maini and Correa to take 2nd in Turn 1.
Onto Lap 2, Maini made his way back to podium places after overtaking Correa in turn 1. Further down, the fight for the final few points-paying positions was intensifying. Antonelli and Hadjar fought hard early on for the seventh position.
Victor Martins kept putting in solid lap times to distance himself from Miyata. By lap 10, Martins had pulled 1.5s ahead of Miyata, with Maini close 1.1s behind in 3rd. Hadjar finally cleared Antonelli on Lap 12. The Italian was then soon overtaken by Crawford who took the final point-paying position from him.
Ritomo Miyata got two 5s time penalties for track limits violations, which meant Maini would finish P2 if he stuck close behind. With Miyata’s penalty, the battle for the final podium position heated up. On the penultimate lap, Correa overtook Bortoleto to take 4th place (3rd after Miyata’s Penalty). Bortoleto kept falling behind with both Aron and Crawford overtaking him for 5th and 6th.
In the front, however, it was the Frenchman who took the chequered flag. Martins scored his first win since Silverstone 2023. Maini finished 2nd, taking his 3rd podium of this season.
Correa took 3rd place but was handed post-race penalties which promoted Aron to the final step of the podium. Crawford and Bortoleto rounded up the top 5. Hadjar, Miyata, and Correa finished in 6th, 7th, and 8th respectively, the final points-paying position of the race.
Multiple post-race penalties were awarded for track limit violations. 7 drivers got a total of 10 5s time penalties between them after the chequered flag.
Feature Race
Championship leader Paul Aron started on Pole position with Jack Crawford alongside him on the front row. Aron got the perfect launch at the start, leading Crawford and Colapinto into turn 1. It was not the same for Victor Martins who made contact with Dennis Hauger. Both drivers were spent spinning into the gravel at Turn 2. With both drivers out of the race, Safety Car was deployed to recover the cars.
On lap 8, the pendulum swung towards those who opted for the alternative strategy, starting on Hard tyres. Joshua Durksen was the first to benefit, overtaking Hadjar who was on Softs for fifth position. Crawford pulled the trigger first, he came in to get rid of his Softs and take a new set of Hards. Aron was called into the pits on Lap 12, he came out ahead of Crawford but the DAMS driver overtook him through turn 3.
Taylor Barnard had a weekend to forget. Having started last he came to a halt at the pit lane entry. VSC was deployed to recover the car. Going into Lap 16, Aron lined up a move on Crawford but due to a snap of oversteer, he slid off the road, dropping 3 spots before joining in 11th.
With 10 laps to go, Correa, who was leading the race on Hards came into the pits. Maini followed him to switch to Softs. Correa came out in 9th while Maini was in 15th. Both drivers made maximum use of their fresh softs and charged up the grid. On Lap 33, Correa made his way to the final step on the podium, overtaking Aron on Turn 1.
Maini moved up to 7th and was looking to overtake his teammate for 6th into Turn 1 on the final lap. The two teammates made contact, leaving Bortoleto with front wing damage while Maini moved up to 6th.
A last-lap collision between the Invicta teammates! 😬
Jack Crawford won for the second time in F2, his first this year. Taking full advantage of his tyre strategy and the mistake made by Paul Aron. Colapinto came home in 2nd, his first feature race podium. Juan Manuel Correa returned to the podium after 5 years in 3rd.
Race winner Jak Crawford of United States and DAMS Lucas Oil (7) (Photo by James Sutton – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Aron finished fourth, maintaining his Championship lead over Hadjar, who came in fifth. Maini crossed the line in sixth, followed by Bortoleto in seventh. Maloney, Cordeel, and local favorite Josep María Martí racing for Campos Racing, completed the points positions.
“We just won the Feature Race and it’s a huge result for DAMS. We did a really risky strategy and it paid off in the end. I’m so happy for the team and JM, it’s a good result for everyone.”
Said jack crawford after winning the feature race.
Championship Standings
Aron extended his championship lead after Round 6 in Formula 2. Jack Crawford moved up 6 places, thanks to his feature race win. Kush Maini is currently 8th in the standings, 50 points behind the championship leader.
Top 10 in Driver Standings (Image: Formula 2)Team Standings (Image: Formula 2)
Up Next
Formula 2 heads to the Red Bull Ring for Round 7 of the championship from June 28-30. This is their second stop in the triple-header, before heading to Silverstone. Catch all the action live on F1TV and Fancode.
After almost a month, Formula 2 is back this weekend. The championship heads to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for its first stop in the upcoming triple header.
Image credits: Formula 2 Media
Season till now
Formula 2 has seen 5 rounds of action till now and it’s the rookie Paul Aron who leads the championship with 80 points. Performing well above his own expectations, Aron has taken 5 podiums in 5 rounds. Just 2 points behind sits Isack Hadjar. Hadjar was looking to get a hattrick of Feature Race wins in Monaco but a late VSC disrupted his plans. Having taken just 1 point in Monte Carlo, Zane Maloney now sits 3rd in the standings.
The teams’ championship is heating up as just 10 points separate the top 3 teams, the top 5 separated by 20. Campos Racing leads the championship heading into their home race with 104 points. Hitech Pulse-Eight and MP Motorsport sit behind the Spanish team in 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Kush Maini looking to bounce back
After having a very strong start to the season, Kush Maini had an underwhelming performance in the last 2 rounds. The Indian driver scored just 1 point in the last 2 rounds, having scored 33 in the first 3. It was later discovered that he was driving a cracked chassis in those 2 rounds. Maini will get a new chassis in Barcelona.
It is understood that Kush Maini had a cracked chassis in Imola and Monaco, explaining his underwhelming results in those rounds. Maini will get a new chassis in Barcelona this weekend, and we can expect him to be fighting at the front again like before.#Formula2pic.twitter.com/6LyJ2zmJeM
“I think it’s a great test track, when you come through junior formulas you drive a lot in Barcelona, so it’s a track I think every driver knows it quite well. It’s a track you’re comfortable with, so for the first time in the car it’s an easy track to get to grips with. Obviously, I was with a Spanish team last year, so I lived in Spain, so Spain is always close to my heart, I really like the place.
Image credits: Formula 2 Media
“Overtaking is a bit more difficult than other circuits, but I think now with the last sector how it is, it’s quite fun, with the two high speed corners at the end it makes it quite physical as well, so I think if you get a good run out at the last corner, Turn 1 is a great opportunity. But it’s a track where you have to look after your tyres and try and attack at the end of the race when others are struggling.
“I always hope to get pole, I think that’s a great thing to achieve in F2 with a Championship this competitive and a Feature Race win I think that’s where the big points are, so that’s a dream weekend.”
Said kush maini speaking to formula 2 before the weekend.
Schedule and Where to Watch
You can watch all the action live on Fancode or F1TV. The full schedule in IST is given below:
📅 | Here is the weekend schedule for Formula 1's 🇪🇸 Spanish GP and it’s feeder series.
The Indian Formula 2 driver joined the Alpine Junior Academy last October and is mentored by the two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen.
Kush Maini on Wednesday took part in a young driver test with Alpine at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. He drove the Alpine A522 in the Styrian hills making it his first time driving a Formula 1 car. According to Viaplay Sport journalist Kunal Shah Maini’s laps ‘were super competitive during the test.’
A dream come true to have had my first ever Formula 1 test with BWT Alpine F1 Team. Massive thank you to the entire team for this incredible opportunity. Can't wait for the next one! @AlpineF1Teampic.twitter.com/MypYPBroLn
Kush Maini completes first test in a Formula 1 car
The Alpine Formula 1 team announced on Monday that they have mutually agreed to part ways with their current F1 driver Esteban Ocon, leaving a seat empty alongside Pierre Gasly. Currently, Alpine’s reserve driver Jack Doohan is reportedly the front-runner to partner with Pierre Gasly in 2025. However, Alpine is also interested in availing the services of Yuki Tsunoda or Valtteri Bottas, was also interested in Ferrari’s outgoing Carlos Sainz.
Can Kush Maini get a shot at the F1 seat?
Kush Maini had a solid start to this 2024 Formula 2 campaign. However, He had his good share of bad luck in the first few weekends of the season. He was disqualified in the Qualifying session in the season opener in Bahrain after qualifying in Pole Position due to a technical infringement, forcing him to start both races from the back of the grid. In round 2 of the Formula 2 championship, He lacked race pace in the Saturday sprint however we saw him take his second career podium in the Feature Race where he finished P2 after inheriting pole position from Oliver Bearman, who stepped up for Carlos Sainz in the Saudi Arabian GP.
Kush Maini took his third career podium in the sprint race but lost out to a Safety Car in the Feature Race after leading the majority of the laps. Coming to the European leg of the season, Maini struggled to even qualify in the top 10 during the Imola GP weekend and the Monaco GP weekend. With nearly a four-week gap in the next F2 weekend in Barcelona, Invicta Racing and Kush Maini have enough time to work on their issues and return to their early season form.
@kmainiofficial on X
Kush Maini’s camp will have a realistic shot at the Formula 1 seat for 2025 if he continues to impress the Alpine management during the Formula 1 tests and also with consistent race finishes in his 2024 Formula 2 campaign. If Jack Doohan is promoted from his current reserve driver role to a full-time role in Alpine, Kush Maini has a good chance of replacing him as the reserve driver of Alpine.
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - MAY 26: <> during the Round 5 Monte Carlo Feature race of the Formula 2 Championship at Circuit de Monaco on May 26, 2024 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Joe Portlock - Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Formula 2 returned to racing in Monte Carlo and delivered a dramatic Feature Race on Sunday.
Formula 2 made its way to the streets of Monte Carlo for Round 5 of the championship. The narrow historic street circuit saw 2 drivers take their first ever win in Formula 2. Here’s how the weekend unfolded
Practice
As is the nature of the Monaco circuit, it offers scheduling challenges, hence the practice started on an unusual Thursday. Victor Martins began the Monte Carlo weekend impressively by setting the fastest time in a rain-affected practice session with a lap of 1:39.237. ART Grand Prix’s Martins led the field ahead of Richard Verschoor and Dennis Hauger. Heavy rain made the circuit damp and tricky, with drivers initially struggling for grip. As conditions improved, Martins maintained his lead, with Hauger and Verschoor trailing. The session faced a red flag due to Franco Colapinto’s crash but resumed briefly before worsening rain led to teams calling their cars back to the pitlane. Martins remained fastest, followed by Hauger, Verschoor, Isack Hadjar, and Zak O’Sullivan.
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO – MAY 23: Victor Martins of France and ART Grand Prix (1) drives on track during practice ahead of Round 5 Monte Carlo of the Formula 2 Championship at Circuit de Monaco on May 23, 2024 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
QUALIFYING
Qualifying in Monaco follows a unique format, with drivers divided into two groups based on their driver numbers—odd numbers in one group and even numbers in another. For this weekend, the ballot held at the pre-race weekend Formula 2 Drivers’ briefing decided the two groups for Friday’s Qualifying session in Monte Carlo. Group A will be all 11 even-numbered cars while the odd-numbered cars will participate in Group B.
Each group, consisting of 11 drivers, has 16 minutes to set their fastest time. The driver with the best overall time across both groups earns pole position for the Feature Race, with the fastest driver from the other group joining them on the front row. The grid alternates between the groups, so if a driver from Group A secures pole, all drivers from Group A will line up on the right side of the grid.
GROUP A
After completing their first flying laps, Zak O’Sullivan from ART was the fastest, with a time of 1:23.118. This put him over half a second ahead of Isack Hadjar from Campos Racing.
O’Sullivan improved his time to 1:22.202, with Verschoor close behind at just 0.113s. As the session neared its end, Verschoor took the lead with a time of 1:21.283, followed by Hadjar and Colapinto. Despite final efforts, Verschoor’s time remained unbeaten.
GROUP B
After a short break, the second set of 11 drivers took to the track with Verschoor’s 1:21.283 as the target time for pole.
Early in the session, Rafael Villagómez crashed at Turn 1, bringing out the red flags. Once the track was clear, drivers resumed with nine minutes left. Zane Maloney initially topped the timesheets with a 1:21.941, but Victor Martins soon reclaimed the lead with a 1:21.310. Roman Stanek briefly led but crashed, ending his session. Paul Aron set a 1:21.347, placing second in Group B.
As a result, Verschoor took pole for Sunday’s feature race ahead of Victor Martins.
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO – MAY 24: <> during qualifying ahead of Round 5 Monte Carlo of the Formula 2 Championship at Circuit de Monaco on May 24, 2024 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by James Sutton – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Hadjar finished third, followed by Aron, Colapinto, and Stanek. Antonelli, Hauger, Bortoleto, and Barnard completed the top 10, with Barnard securing reverse grid pole for the Sprint Race.
After the Qualifying session concluded, three drivers received post-session penalties.
Oliver Bearman received a three-place grid drop for impeding Campos Racing’s Josep María Martí during a push lap. Juan Manuel Correa of DAMS Lucas Oil also received a three-place grid penalty for impeding PREMA Racing’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli during a push lap. Lastly, Kush Maini was given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Rodin Motorsport’s Zane Maloney. All the three drivers will serve their penalty in the next race (the upcoming sprint race)
SPRINT RACE
Taylor Barnard delivered a commanding performance starting from reverse grid Pole in the Monte Carlo Sprint Race, securing his and AIX Racing’s first Formula 2 victory.
Despite a slower start compared to Gabriel Bortoleto, who started alongside him on the front row, Barnard maintained his lead with Dennis Hauger slotting into third. The race saw interruptions with a Safety Car deployed due to Victor Martins’ crash early on with DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford and Campos Racing’s Josep María Martí.
Barnard held onto his lead after each restart, with the race marked by incidents like Martí’s crash at the swimming pool section and Richard Verschoor’s damage from a collision. Meanwhile, Oliver Bearman faced challenges, including a slow moment that dropped him to P14.
Zane Maloney’s race ended 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 resumed on lap 26 with a rolling start and Barnard held on to his lead. Barnard crossed the line in first, giving him and AIX Racing their maiden Formula 2 victory. Bortoleto finished in P2 while Hauger followed him across the line to take P3.
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO – MAY 25: <> during the Round 5 Monte Carlo Sprint race of the Formula 2 Championship at Circuit de Monaco on May 25, 2024 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by James Sutton – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
“Starting in P1, I knew it was going to be a matter of trying to keep hold of P1 at the first corner. I dreamt about this last night, coming out of the first corner in first. We had a great car today and when I got in front, I could feel straight away that I had good pace, and I just managed the pace and the car throughout the race. The mini–Safety Cars and Virtual Safety Cars and one Red Flag didn’t make my life easy to say the least. Very happy, thank you to the whole team for the car they gave me today and really happy to get my first win in Monaco.”- Taylor Barnard, AIX Racing
Antonelli finished fourth for the third time in the last four races ahead of the second MP car of Franco Colapinto. Trident’s Roman Stanek finished in sixth ahead of Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Paul Aron with Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar taking the final point in P8.
FEATURE RACE
Zak O’Sullivan clinched his first Formula 2 victory in a thrilling Monte Carlo Feature Race, capitalizing on a late Virtual Safety Car period to secure the win. Starting from P15, O’Sullivan opted for a longer first stint. A Virtual Safety Car caused by Joshua Duerksen’s stoppage on track worked in his favor, allowing him to pit and emerge in the lead on the penultimate lap. In the final lap, O’Sullivan held off Isack Hadjar to claim the victory, with Hadjar finishing second and Paul Aron taking third.
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO – MAY 26: <> during the Round 5 Monte Carlo Feature race of the Formula 2 Championship at Circuit de Monaco on May 26, 2024 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by James Sutton – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Here’s how the race unfolded:
Richard Verschoor made a strong start from Pole position for Trident, but Victor Martins struggled off the line, allowing Hadjar and Aron to move up. Further back, Gabriel Bortoleto made full use of his supersoft tyres to overtake Dennis Hauger and Oliver Bearman.
The race saw its first incident with Jak Crawford’s retiring after colliding with Kush Maini at turn 7.
The first round of pit stops came for everyone who started on super soft and it was Verschoor who held the net race lead, before losing it to Isack Hadjar on lap 25 who overtook him going into turn 1. Trouble continued for Verschoor, who kept losing places in the following laps and eventually retired after a penalty and ongoing issues.
On Lap 36, Hadjar hit the wall but continued, facing pressure from Aron. Meanwhile, Maloney and Barnard made contact, affecting their race.
Towards the end with 2 laps to go, everyone except O’Sullivan had made their mandatory pit stops and Isack Hadjar had the net race lead and was P2 on the road behind O’Sullivan. The drama unfolded as Joshua Duerksen, who was next to pit 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 chance to come in from the lead to complete his mandatory pit stop. He was called in by ART moments before the Virtual Safety Car was deployed, this was crucial as pit stops under the VSC don’t count towards the mandatory pit stop, but since O’Sullivan came in before the VSC was deployed, his stop under the VSC was legal. O’Sullivan came out ahead of Hadjar and held him off in the final lap to take his maiden win in Formula 2.
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO – MAY 26: <> during the Round 5 Monte Carlo Feature race of the Formula 2 Championship at Circuit de Monaco on May 26, 2024 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Aron crossed the line to finish third to take the lead in the Drivers’ Championship. He finished ahead of Bearman in fourth and Correa in fifth, while Hauger wound up in sixth. Antonelli, ended up in P7 ahead of Bortoleto and Martins, as Maloney rounded out the points positions in 10th.
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO – MAY 26: <> during the Round 5 Monte Carlo Feature race of the Formula 2 Championship at Circuit de Monaco on May 26, 2024 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
“Just won the Feature Race in Monaco, bit of a crazy race starting from 15th, didn’t really expect it but pace was strong and again luck was on my side with the VSC at the end. But super happy for the team, it’s been a tricky start to the year but it’s finally good to get a big result and a big boost for the rest of the season.” – Zak O’Sullivan, ART Grand Prix
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Paul Aron’s consistent performance has propelled him to the top of the Drivers’ Championship, marking the first time this season that someone other than Zane Maloney leads. Aron’s fifth podium finish of the year has earned him 80 points, placing him ahead of Isack Hadjar by just two points, who now holds second place. Zane Maloney currently sits in third with 69 points, followed by Dennis Hauger in fourth with 56 points, and Gabriel Bortoleto rounding out the top five with 50 points.
In the Teams’ Standings, Campos Racing maintains its lead with 104 points. Hitech Pulse-Eight’s strong performance moves them up to second place with 95 points, narrowly ahead of MP Motorsport in third with 94 points. Rodin Motorsport slips to fourth with 85 points, while Invicta Racing completes the top five teams with 84 points.
