Written by Ellie Nicholls
The chequered flag has waved on Formula Two’s first ever race in Qatar - and after an action-packed Saturday, the Sprint podium finishers shared their thoughts on the weekend so far…
Oliver Bearman clinches third victory of the year in Qatar Sprint Race | Image credit: Formula 2 via X
It was an emotional win for Oliver Bearman in his penultimate race weekend with Prema Racing - a team with which he has a strong connection, having raced with them throughout his junior career.
“Now I only have three races left with Prema, “ said Bearman, explaining how much this win meant to him, “and, you know, I joined as a kid basically. I’m moving to F1 next year, and Prema has really shaped me into the driver and the person I am today.
“It’s been like my family, and knowing that I’m leaving them having made so many good relationships there with so many people - it’s always sad to say goodbye. So, I mean, hopefully it’s not my last [win with Prema], but it could be.”
The battle between Bearman and current championship runner-up Isack Hadjar for the lead was intense, and continued throughout the 23 laps.
Initially, Red Bull Junior Hadjar had the advantage, managing to overtake Bearman in the opening laps before building up a gap out front. However, as the race progressed, Hadjar’s medium tyres fell away from him, allowing Bearman to retake first position in the final stages of the race.
The Prema driver explained that, even though the tyre advantage meant he was able to close the gap, it was difficult for him to make the move on Hadjar due to the extreme effect of the dirty air.
“I was catching quite a bit, but then when you get within kind of two and a half seconds, you start to struggle a bit more and pick up some dirty air.” shared Bearman. “It was a tough one, and I was really having to fight hard.”
It was a dramatic battle between Bearman and Hadjar for the lead | Image Credit: Formula 2
Second-placed Jak Crawford, who spent the majority of the race locked in a similar battle with Victor Martins, also commented on the difficulty of overtaking on this track due to the significant impact of the dirty air on performance.
“It was a crazy battle,” shared the DAMS driver, “I remember some moments that were quite on edge. I knew I was going to get [Martins] at some point and I just had to be patient.
“I spent the whole, I don’t know how many laps the race was, but the first 20 laps I was right on Victor’s gearbox. I was in DRS every single lap. Finally, I had free air, and the car balance completely changed. I had so much more grip out of the dirty air.”
Meanwhile third-placed Richard Verschoor not only faced the difficulty of adapting to the unfamiliar circuit, but also had to get to grips with his new team. Having raced for Trident for the majority of the 2024 season, the Dutch driver made the switch to MP Motorsport, replacing the outgoing Dennis Hauger for Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Reflecting on his first race with the team, Verschoor said: “I’m happy- it was a good race. We didn’t start off so well, I had a bad start, but it’s been nice working with the team! [...] It’s quite a big difference coming from Trident, I have to say - I still have to get used to things a bit, but today in the race I already felt more confident, and I am looking forward to tomorrow!”
Verschoor’s switch to MP Motorsport is just one of the many mid-season driver changes Formula Two has seen so far this year - with four drivers having made their debuts in the series during the Qatar Sprint Race.
Debutant Beganovic impresses in first F2 qualifying session. | Image credit: DAMS Lucas Oil via X
All three of the sprint race podium finishers praised the performance of the rookies so far - particularly highlighting Dino Beganovic for achieving P4 in his first ever Formula Two qualifying session despite his limited running earlier in the weekend.
“[Beganovic] was flying yesterday in qualifying,” praised Bearman, “and you have to remember that he didn’t even do a lap in free practice. I think he did, what, five laps in quali? And he was P4. So that was really impressive.”
It has been a weekend of learning across the field in Qatar, as drivers old and new alike have been desperately trying to adapt to the unfamiliar challenge of the Lusail International circuit.
Qualifying saw the grid separated by fairly significant gaps - but all three podium finishers shared that they expect the feature race to be far close and far tougher as drivers gain more and more confidence on the track.
Looking ahead to Sunday, Paul Aron lines up on pole position for what is sure to be an action-packed feature race in Formula Two…
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