It’s the final leg of the season and the double header in the desert will decide the outcome of the 2024 Formula 2 Championship. Several drivers remain in contention for the crown going into Round 13 of the campaign, but Gabriel Bortoleto leads the way by 4.5 points over closest contender Isack Hadjar.
On top of the potential crowning of a new Champion, F2 heads into the unknown as the Championship visits Qatar’s Lusail International Circuit for the first time ever.
So, here’s what’s in store this weekend.
FORM BOOK
Invicta Racing head up both Championships going into Round 13, top of the Teams’ and Drivers’ Championship as Bortoleto aims to help them take a clean sweep of the titles. The Brazilian secured more valuable points last time out in Baku to lead on 169.5 points.
Hadjar is aiming to close that gap after losing the lead to the Kick Sauber-bound driver, after non-scoring results in the last four races going back to his most recent victory in Spa. Still, on 165 points, he’s within striking distance.
Zane Maloney is third in the Standings however the Bajan driver will be replaced at after Round 13 at Rodin Motorsport by 2024 Formula 3 Champion Leonardo Fornaroli for the final round in Abu Dhabi.
Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Paul Aron is fourth, having led for the early phase of the season. He finds himself on 133 points, two behind Maloney and with a sizeable gap to overcome in these final rounds.
Invicta’s lead in the Teams’ Standings is now 35.5 points over Campos Racing, 243.5 to 208. MP Motorsport are third on 181.5 points while PREMA Racing and Rodin round out the top five on 169 and 164 points respectively.
Kush Maini has a carry over grid penalty from the last event, with the Invicta Racing driver set to serve a five-place grid penalty for the next race he competes in.
FROM THE GRID – Joshua Duerksen, AIX Racing
“For a new track, there’s a lot of preparation that goes into it on the sim. A lot of analysis to learn the track, the overtaking places, tyre strategy and wear, and the racing overall. I’m really excited to race there as it’s a brand-new track for me. I love high-speed corners, and the track has a lot of them.
“It’s going to be such a cool lap in Qualifying. I want the feeling of being on the limit. I don’t want to feel after Qualifying that I could have pushed a bit more here or there. I want to feel on that limit.
“What we’ve seen in previous years with F1, tyre deg has been up and down. Let’s see if it changes this year, but if it’s not bad we can push to the limit of the tyre. With some more analysis and sim work, we’ll know how to approach it.
“Hopefully we can be in the points and to be on reverse grid pole would be amazing. To be in the top 10 would be good, close to the points and I think I can definitely achieve that.”
TECHNICAL PREVIEW
With the high-speed nature combining with the long radius corners that comprise the lap around Lusail, it is a demanding circuit on the tyres. Teams and drivers that can find the sweet spot on tyre wear will be in good stead going into both races.
That also means downforce requirements are fairly high, with only one long straight to take into account. Brakes and Fuel aren’t as much of an issue though, so the all important Practice session will be crucial in order to identify the correct compromise on drag versus downforce to ensure the tyres are protected enough, but the car is quick enough over a single lap.
RACE STRATEGY
The FIA Formula 2 Championship will be making its very first appearance at the Lusail circuit, one of the hardest tracks on tyres, comparable to Silverstone in terms of the forces exerted on them. Therefore, the compounds chosen for the Qatar weekend are the Hard and Medium. All 16 corners are taken at medium or high speeds. The track surface is smooth, having been resurfaced last year, but it is usually very dirty because the wind blows sand onto it. Therefore, it is logical to expect to see lap times tumble rapidly the more the cars run, thus cleaning the racing line. One of the difficulties that could be encountered is graining, which reduces the performance life of the tyres.
In terms of strategy choices, the drivers who are best at tyre management could gamble on running the Medium for the Sprint Race, although this is rather unlikely to happen. For the Feature Race, the key will be to run as long as is manageable on the softer compound so as to get as near as possible to having two equal length stints.
STAT PACK
The Lusail International Circuit is 5.419Km in length located outside of the city of Doha, Qatar, the country’s capital
Formula 2 Media | Photo: Formula 2
