Invicta Racing arrives in Azerbaijan for Round 12 of the 2024 FIA Formula 2 season, fresh from a remarkable last-to-first victory for Gabriel Bortoleto in Monza. With an eye on both championships, the team are primed to take on the streets of Baku.
With just three rounds of the 2024 FIA Formula 2 season remaining, battles for the Drivers’ and Teams’ championships are hotting up after Gabriel Bortoleto’s inspired last-to-first performance in the Monza Feature Race. A significant points swing – due to championship leader Isack Hadjar languishing outside the top ten – meant Bortoleto could close to within 10.5 points of the top of the standings.
Similarly, Invicta Racing rose to the top of the Teams’ points table heading into the final trio of events.
The drama-inducing circuit of Baku hosts Round 12, and its unique 6.003km layout generates high-speed wheel-to-wheel action between unforgiving barriers, adding even higher stakes to an ever-developing title battle.
Track notes
It’s a long run down to the first corner enabling plenty of opportunities for overtaking; the lap’s biggest braking event precedes a 90-degree left-hander, followed quickly by a second left turn. The third corner comprises more prime overtaking real estate and a third left-hander before finally veering right at the fourth time of asking.
The second sector gets underway with a third-gear chicane which feeds into a short straight. Then, a tricky right-hander gives way to the infamous castle section, followed by a quartet of fast left-handers at Turns 12, 13, 14 and 15.
The third and final sector begins with one last left-hander, but the exit for Turn 16 is vital as the remainder of the sector is taken flat out. An ultra-fast left-right kink at 18 and 19 feeds directly onto the start/finish straight to round out the lap.
Team formbook
The team’s best result came in the 2021 Sprint Race, with a third place for Zhou Guanyu, while Gabriel Bortoleto faces a new challenge this weekend having never raced on the streets of Baku.
Kush Maini enjoyed one of his most consistent events of the 2023 campaign in Azerbaijan, with a fourth in the Sprint and fifth in the Feature Race.
Memorable moment
F1-bound Oliver Bearman’s 2023 Baku weekend helped put him on the map; as if a pole lap with a bent steering column wasn’t enough, he went on to take a famous double, winning both the Sprint and Feature races.
Andy Roche, Team Principal
“What initially looked like a disaster turned into a special weekend for the team in Monza, and now we need to carry that momentum forward into the last three races. We’re in the thick of it in both the Drivers’ and Teams’ championships, but this is F2 and things can change very quickly so we’re going to take each race as it comes and see where we end up in Abu Dhabi.”
All local times CEST (UTC +4). Follow Invicta Racing for updates throughout the weekend.
Live timing for all sessions can be found here.
