Written by Vyas Ponnuri
You couldn't have painted a better picture for Formula 2 this season. A brand new car, every team winning atleast a race, several names moving up to Formula One. To top it off, the two title protagonists Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar head into Abu Dhabi, separated by only half a point.
The closest championship battle in history is all set to go down, right to the wire. With only half a point separating the drivers, it's a case of winner takes all, as the driver who finishes ahead in this individual battle will be the one taking the crown.
Of course, the challenge will be made trickier by the pair of races and the reversal of the qualifying order for the sprint race. The lead could ebb and flow either way, even before the grid line up on Sunday afternoon for the final feature race of the season.
"I think it doesn't change anything, that we are fighting for the championship at such a high level," Bortoleto said, responding to select media ahead of the weekend.
This weekend's pair of races will require a cool head, coupled with a stable right foot on the accelerator and left foot on the brakes, with drivers expected to be calculated and decisive with their moves. For all they know, even one rash move can derail their chances of winning the title.
There's also expected to be the element of risk, with interlopers splitting them on both race grids being less worried about the consequences of dropping points.
As such, the pair of Bortoleto and Hadjar will need to measure risk versus reward in their quest for the holy grail — the Formula 2 championship.
"You cannot go up and down with your mental situation, if that's the right word. You need to keep yourself always cool, and in the same level," the championship leader described.
The Brazilian in the yellow Invicta is focused on doing simple things, and following the same mantras that earned him success all season.
"It's all about doing the exactly same thing, for maybe the entire season that worked very well for me," Bortoleto expressed.
"I don't wanna recreate anything new. I don't want to change something, some strategy or whatever, because it makes no sense now," the McLaren junior continued.
Looking back at his season so far, you'd wonder what he would have to do differently. Bortoleto has earned plenty of success on the track, as well as off it. Despite DNFs in two of his first three feature races, Bortoleto has made it count on Sundays across the season.
The Brazilian has earned two feature race victories across the year, including his statement last-to-first drive in Monza. His consistency across the season stands out once again.
A characteristic trait of his title-winning F3 campaign with Trident, it has once again been the cornerstone of his F2 campaign this year.
While he has failed to score in six races in 2024, Bortoleto has ensured he finishes in the points on Sunday, when the big points are handed out. Only two of his non-scores have come on Sundays.
The Brazilian has also been on a seven-race scoring streak heading into the Abu Dhabi weekend, his last non score coming before Formula 2 headed into the summer break, at Spa-Francorchamps. This resurgence pales in contrast to his closest rival Hadjar.
"We need to do what we know what to do, what we have been doing the whole year, that is gonna work out the same in Abu Dhabi," Bortoleto expressed, firmly reposing his faith in his practices and strategies he's followed across the year.
Off the track, Bortoleto has also experienced a major breakthrough, becoming the first Brazilian to join the F1 grid since Felipe Massa in 2017. The São Paulo native will graduate to Formula One with KICK Sauber in 2025, joining veteran Nico Hulkenberg at the Hinwil squad.
As such, he will have even more drive to go out and secure the championship on a high, looking to join an elite group of racers in Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Charles Leclerc to win back-to-back Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles on their way to F1.
If anything is to go by his driving in Qatar, when he gave it his all to lose as little ground to Hadjar in the standings, there's no doubt Bortoleto would leave Abu Dhabi with the biggest piece of silverware in Formula 2 on Sunday.
The Invicta man's challenge will certainly be matched by another driver who has headlined Formula 2 this season. Campos racer Isack Hadjar has been the form driver for large part of the season, taking feature race victories and scoring points for fun prior to the summer break.
Like his compatriot, Hadjar's wins this season have been in the feature races. Banking on his year's worth of F2 experience, the Frenchman has claimed as many as four feature wins all year, winning consecutive Sunday races in Albert Park and Imola, before adding to these triumphs in Silverstone and Spa before the summer break.
While Bortoleto's campaign has been about consistency and momentum, Hadjar has made use of his opportunities to score big.
However, momentum is a big factor in motorsport, and the Red Bull junior certainly didn't have it on his side, as F2 entered Qatar last weekend.
Having been 36 points ahead of his closest competitor during the summer break, the Frenchman's four-race scoreless run opened the door for Bortoleto, who laid down a statement with his Monza heroics, as he closed the gap up top.
Hadjar was able to slash the gap by four points to his championship rival in Qatar, at the end of a tense feature race, and the Campos racer believes he will look to enjoy this weekend, having done all the hardwork to get to this point.
"I think it's the weekend I'm going to enjoy the most because I feel like I've done all the hard work already. Now I know the process, how it works, so I'm not going to change anything," Hadjar revealed to select media ahead of the weekend.
With a winner-takes-all scenario, the pressure is off Hadjar, as his mission is clear: Finish ahead of his rival. With no other scenarios coming into play, it leaves out any permutations and combinations the drivers have to worry about.
"I really feel much less pressure than at the start of the season," The Campos driver expressed.
"So I'm just actually going to enjoy myself and I really want to bring the title to Campos. So yeah, I think it will be the most enjoyable weekend so far," Hadjar said, outlining his desire for the weekend.
This weekend is arguably the convergence of two different philosophies in motorsport: One driver ensuring he continually scores points, while the other has capitalised on opportunities to score big, ensuring leeway for any poor spells of form.
There's no doubt the title will be a well-deserved one for either driver, as they have been head and shoulders clear of an utterly competitive field in 2024. In a season of 17 different race winners and 20 different podium sitters, the duo have grabbed the opportunities as and when they come by.
With Bortoleto qualifying second and Hadjar fourth on Sunday, they know the task ahead of them for the weekend. Hadjar starts ahead in the Saturday sprint, while his fellow championship contender starts ahead in the feature.
It just adds another layer of intrigue and suspense to the weekend ahead, with barely anything separating both drivers, shaping up a weekend you absolutely don't want to miss!
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