Formula 2 heads to the streets of Monaco for round 5 of the championship. Monaco is a maximum downforce track with many slow-speed corners and very few straights, presenting a unique challenge for both teams and drivers. The lower average speeds compared to other tracks on this year’s calendar also put less demand on braking. Additionally, since the circuit is not used all year round for racing, drivers will encounter a very green surface. Finding grip and getting their tyres into the right temperature window ahead of their laps in Qualifying will be crucial this weekend as the last 4 Feature race winners have all started from pole at this venue.
Image credits: Formula 2 Media
How the championship looks like heading to Monaco:
The Campos driver Isack Hadjar is the man to beat right now. Having won the feature race in Australia, the Red Bull junior was also the quickest driver in the in-season test in Barcelona, he came to Imola and won the feature race again, helping him move up to 3rd in the standings with 59 points.
“What I like the most about the track is the layout, I think it’s amazing. I’ve won there before, it was actually the weekend I was signed by Red Bull, so it brings back a lot of memories for me. It’s a special place and I think it is the best track in the world.”
– Isack Hadjar speaking about Monaco
The championship leader Zane Maloney sits on the top with 68 points, only 3 points behind is the Hitech Pulse-Eight’s rookie Paul Aron. He has been on the podium four times this season, although he lost the sprint win in Imola on the final lap to MP Motorsport’s Franco Colapinto, who earned his first F2 victory.
Colapinto’s teammate Dennis Hauger is fourth in the standings, while Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto is fifth after securing pole position and second place in the Imola Feature Race.
AIX Racing also had a strong showing, with Joshua Duerksen achieving his and the team’s first podium by finishing third in Sunday’s feature race. PREMA Racing had a mixed weekend: a long pitstop dropped Oliver Bearman to the back of the field in the Feature Race after leading the opening laps, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished fourth on home soil.
Kush Maini finds himself 8th in the standings with 34 points. After a weekend that wasn’t up to the standards set by the Indian driver himself this season, the Alpine junior will look to make a comeback at a circuit where he enjoyed a good points finish last year when he finished 6th having started all the way back in 12th.
In the Teams’ Championship, Campos now leads with 85 points, having leapfrogged Rodin, Hitech, and MP. Only 10 points separate the top four teams, with Invicta Racing close behind in fifth with 72 points.
The unusual Qualifying in Monaco
Qualifying in Monaco is done differently, with drivers split into two groups based on their driver numbers, odd numbers in one group, and even numbers in another. Each group consists of 11 drivers and has 16 minutes to set their fastest time. The driver with the best overall time from both groups will secure pole position for the Feature Race, with the fastest driver from the other group joining them on the front row. The rest of the grid will alternate positions between the groups. This means, that if a driver from group A gets pole position then the whole group A will line up on the right side of the grid, as the pole position is on the right side of the grid.
For the Sprint Race, the fifth-fastest driver from the slower group will start on pole, and the fifth-fastest driver from the faster group will join them on the front row.
Race Strategy
This weekend Pirelli has brought the red-walled Soft and purple-painted Supersoft tires to Monte Carlo’s street circuit. The track generates less energy through the tires due to its lower average speeds. The preferred strategy is to use the Supersofts for as long as possible before switching to the Softs. Given the close walls, a Safety Car intervention is always possible, so teams must stay alert during pitstops. A poorly timed pitstop can cause a driver to lose significant ground, but a well-executed one can help them move up the order significantly.
Schedule and Where to Watch
You can catch all the action live on Fancode and F1TV, the timings in IST are given below:
