All images ©: Dutch Photo Agency
Gabriel Bortoleto claimed second place in the Abu Dhabi Sprint, ensuring he retains the championship advantage in the Drivers' and Invicta Racing keeps the upper hand in the Teams' standings ahead of the 2024 finale.
As dusk began to settle on Yas Island and the FIA Formula 2 season, the final Sprint Race of 2024 got underway. With points leader Gabriel Bortoleto starting in ninth, and his main title rival Isack Hadjar only a few spots ahead, all eyes were fixed on the championship contenders.
READ MORE: Abu Dhabi Qualifying report
As the lights went out, Kush Maini boldly dived to the inside of Turn 1 and seized what would become fifth. Then, down the first straight, he executed a superb double overtake to lunge into second at the chicane, completing a six-position rise through the order on the first lap.
Crucially, Bortoleto got ahead of Hadjar at Turn 1 and up into seventh. By the end of the first tour, the Brazilian had made up four positions and occupied fifth.
A move to the inside of the chicane on Lap 3 elevated Gabriel further still to fourth, and on the next lap he astutely utilised a switchback manoeuvre at the same chicane to climb into the podium places.
On Lap 5, Gabriel closed to the back of his team-mate but had to wait until the following tour to claim second from Maini. Thereafter, Kush defended from the group behind. With the pack swarming around him, one position drop often paved the way for several more, and he fell outside of the points over the coming laps. By the chequered flag, he’d fallen to 18th.
Once he was into second, Gabriel closed a four-second gap to race leader Pepe Marti down to two, but ran out of laps to get the job done and settled for second. Having added eight vital championship points to his tally, 5.5 points now separate the #10 driver and Hadjar, while Invicta still holds the advantage in the Teams’ Championship ahead of F2’s final race of the year.
Gabriel Bortoleto
"We did everything we needed to do in that race. We made moves quickly and took advantage of a chaotic start. I gave it everything to try and catch Pepe [Martí], but ran out of tyres at the end. We're in a good position tomorrow with the points advantage and the front row on the grid, but today confirmed anything can happen. We've still got to get the job done."
Abu Dhabi SPRINT RACE RESULTS
- Started: 9th
- Finished: 2nd
- Points: 8
KUSH MAINI
"Ultimately, that was a really disappointing race for me. Considering where we were on the first lap, finishing 18th was not where we wanted to be. The tyres just dropped off a cliff so when the cars behind attacked, I had nothing left to defend with. Tomorrow's a new day and I'm going to give it everything so the team can end the season on a high."
Abu Dhabi SPRINT RACE RESULTS
- Started: 8th
- Finished: 18th
- Points: 0
ANDY ROCHE, TEAM PRINCIPAL
"It's a shame Kush's race unravelled the way it did because he put in a really strong showing at the start of the race. Considering where he started, I don't think we could've asked for much more from Gabriel today. He's made sure both the Teams' and Drivers' titles are still achievable tomorrow. We're going to try not to focus on the points and just deliver another strong Feature Race, then whatever happens, happens. Easier said than done."
