All images ©: Dutch Photo Agency
Invicta Racing secured two top six positions in FIA Formula 2 qualifying ahead of the Abu Dhabi season finale, with Gabriel Bortoleto going second fastest ahead of his title rivals.
Championship contenders Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar traded blows in the very first handful of practice laps as the pair went sixth and seventh respectively, while the other title hopeful Paul Aron topped much of the early session.
Gabriel hit the top of the times with 18 minutes to go and on his next lap, he was due to go faster still before a red flag halted proceedings. In the session's final moments, Hadjar managed a quicker time to relegate Bortoleto to second. Maini was also in the top 10 throughout the session, running as high as sixth and placing himself 10th at the flag.
The final F2 qualifying session of the year was as tight as ever, and Gabriel’s first effort of a 1:36.479 was good enough for second, while Kush went sixth with his opening gambit.
On the second attempt, Bortoleto went fastest in Sector 1 and surged to the top of the times with a 1:36.050. Maini slotted into third two tenths back.
The penultimate runs saw Gabriel secure second, three hundredths behind Victor Martins and a tenth ahead of Hadjar, mere moments before the red flags were waved.
Unable to go quicker on his final run, Bortoleto ended the session on a 1:35.780. With that time, he secured a front-row for the Feature Race and ninth for tomorrow’s Sprint, crucially qualifying ahead of both of his title rivals. Kush, meanwhile, finished a strong sixth, but a penalty for impeding dropped him to eighth on the grid for the Sprint Race.
GABRIEL BORTOLETO
“I'm frustrated not to get pole, especially when the margins are that close. But It's still a great start to the weekend and the important thing is that both Isack [Hadjar] and Paul [Aron] are behind me on the grid for the Feature Race. There's still a long way to go; we've got to take this one step at a time, and that was a promising first one."
FREE PRACTICE RESULTS
- Position: 2nd
- Fastest lap: 1:38.046
QUALIFYING RESULTS
- Position: 2nd
- Fastest lap: 1:35.780
KUSH MAINI
“Overall, I was happy with sixth in qualifying, but I felt like I could've been further up the order after the laps I set early in the session. Now, with the penalty, we're on the back foot for both the Sprint and the Feature, but I still think we can finish the year on a high."
FREE PRACTICE RESULTS
- Position: 10th
- Fastest lap: 1:38.414
QUALIFYING RESULTS
- Position: 6th
- Fastest lap: 1:35.950
