Written by Jann Erin Castro, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Formula 2 history had been written going into the final race weekend of the season, with only a 0.5 point gap separating title contenders Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar.
This marked the closest title fight in F2 history — almost mirroring the Formula 1 title decider in 2021 between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, who went into the weekend both with 369.5 points.
The battle for the title began with Hitech rookie Paul Aron taking the lead in the driver standings.
Campos driver Hadjar eventually caught up and took the lead from Aron in Silvertone following a feature race win. Three rounds later, in Baku, Invicta rookie Bortoleto grabbed the title lead from Hadjar after a surprising last-to-first win in Monza.
Last week’s Qatar GP was a key factor that played into the close title fight this weekend. Hadjar and his team were able to perfectly execute their strategies, and the odds were leaning in their favour.
Invicta, meanwhile sensed some trouble, heightened by Bortoleto’s five-second penalty from crossing the pitlane entry upon a virtual safety car.
The events of the Abu Dhabi sprint have swung the odds slightly in the Brazilian’s favour. Aron was eliminated from the championship battle, while Bortoleto extended his gap to 4.5 points over Hadjar after finishing second.
Even still, Bortoleto will not be able to breathe easy going into the finale.
The gap between first and second is seven points, and if either driver wins the race, they will be guaranteed the championship.
Furthermore, Formula 2 is known to be unpredictable up until the chequered flag, and anything can happen. Nothing is a guarantee until the flag drops.
Brazilian driver Bortoleto already has his sights set on his rookie season in F1 with Kick Sauber where he will be driving alongside Nico Hulkenberg.
Bortoleto has had an impressive rookie season this year with two wins and seven podium finishes.
The McLaren junior is looking to add yet another championship under his belt, after also having won the Formula 3 2023 championship in his rookie season.
As for Hadjar, the Red Bull Junior’s second season in F2 has allowed him to mark his territory in F1.
He had the opportunity to drive the RB20 for FP1 in Silverstone and he will have another opportunity to drive the RB VCARB 01 for the FP1 Rookie Test in Abu Dhabi this weekend right after F2’s own free practice session.
With Liam Lawson stepping up to F1, Hadjar was also able to step up to become Red Bull Racing and VCARB’s reserve driver for the remainder of the season. The French driver is one of the candidates for the remaining Racing Bulls seat in 2025.
Nonetheless, Hadjar remains keen on bringing home the championship. In an interview, he shared: “It won't decide the future for me, I've shown what I could show… but this one is for the team and for myself, whether I win the title or not.”
Both drivers have their eyes set on winning the championship but are enjoying the competition as they go. Bortoleto shared in a post-race interview:
“It’s going to be very fun in Abu Dhabi, it’s always nice to fight for a Championship. The closer to the end of the season you get, the more emotional, just funny it gets. It’s nice to be part of a Championship that will become history for sure.”
The drivers’ respective teams — Invicta and Campos — are also in their own title fight for the constructor’s championship with only 24.5 points standing in between the teams.
Despite Hadjar’s teammate Pepe Marti winning the sprint earlier in the weekend, Invicta remains the frontrunners to win the championship.
Otherwise, both Campos drivers Hadjar and Pepe Martí have to score big points, and finish on or near the podium to have a chance at clinching the title.
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