Main Race F2 – Qatar: Aron wins for the first time, Hadjar keeps title hopes alive
The F2 championship is living up to all its promises. At the end of a choppy race, Paul Aaron clinches his first victory. Isack Hadjar, despite starting 9th on the grid, achieves a superb comeback and takes advantage of the race circumstances to regain 3 points from the championship leader, Gabriel Bortoleto, who completes the podium.
The F2 drivers need to be patient… The main race of the F2 weekend in Qatar is delayed by a few minutes. Race officials are working to repair a damaged safety barrier, an incident that occurred during the Porsche Carrera Cup earlier in the day. But don’t panic, unlike the F1 Academy whose race was cancelled, the F2 drivers will start their formation lap at 1:35 pm French time. The championship duel between Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar will be able to continue.
The course layout
Gabriel Bortoleto, the championship leader, makes a strong move as soon as the lights go out. He takes advantage of the poor start of poleman Paul Aron to take the lead of the race at the first turn. As for the French drivers, Victor Martins lost a position but remains in contention just off the podium. However, it’s more difficult for Isack Hadjar who misses his start and falls out of the top 10.
Very quickly, the drivers complained about a significant degradation of their front left tire. Small errors are multiplying after just a few laps. As a direct consequence, Jak Crawford and Zane Maloney pit at the end of the 6th lap of the race. Will the winning strategy be the one-stop strategy? The 32 laps of the race may be long for these drivers.
Antonelli out of the race: the safety car is out
Kimi Antonelli, just out of the pits, spins! The Brazilian was hit in the pit lane by Richard Verschoor. The Brazilian’s right front wing hit the Dutchman’s left rear tire, who ignored his competitor and continued. Kimi Antonelli’s steering column was probably damaged, explaining his off-track excursion into the gravel trap. In any case, it’s over for the future Mercedes driver in F1! Richard Verschoor got a puncture. The virtual safety car and then the safety car are deployed.
Fin de course pour Antonelli ❌
L’Italien a vu Verschoor lui tourner dessus dans la voie des stands…#QatarGP #F2 pic.twitter.com/JKsem2mZHA
— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) December 1, 2024
Bortoleto penalized: the turning point at the end of the race
Gabriel Bortoleto hesitates to return to the pits during the virtual safety car, but his engineer tells him to stay on track at the last moment! He crosses the pit entry line, and is given a 5-second penalty! In all this chaos, Isack Hadjar moves up to ninth place and pulls off a great maneuver! He has already made a pit stop, unlike the top 6, so he is virtually in 3rd place.
At the restart, Pepe Marti, the Frenchman’s teammate, defends very forcefully against Gabriel Bortoleto and forces him off track. The Brazilian is under pressure and concedes his 6th place. But barely a lap after the end of the safety car, it is back, following a collision between Villagomez and Jak Crowford. Both drivers retire.
At the 17th lap of the race, the drivers set off again. Gabriel Bortoleto regains the lead over Pepe Marti and finds an excellent pace. He must stay ahead of his competitors due to his 5-second penalty. Everything remains to be done… Victor Martins is involved in a collision with Esterson. He retires on the 20th lap.
The drivers stopped before the end of the 32 laps.
Due to multiple incidents and the deployment of two safety cars, the maximum duration of the race will be used as the end of the race and not the originally planned 32 laps. Isack Hadjar is climbing back up and only Paul Aron stands between him and Gabriel Bortoleto. The top two in the championship are running at the same pace 5 minutes from the checkered flag! Oliver Bearman is leading but still hasn’t made a pit stop. He’s hoping for another safety car.
The countdown is coming to an end. Gabriel Bortoleto crosses the finish line in first place but fails to keep his competitors at more than 5 seconds behind! Paul Aron wins, Isack Hadjar comes second! Even with his 5-second penalty, Gabriel Bortoleto still remains on the podium in third place. Isack Hadjar trails the Brazilian by half a point after this race! The title race suspense is still intact before the final race weekend. Everything will be decided in Abu Dhabi on December 8th.
