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Invicta Racing’s Kush Maini took his maiden FIA Formula 2 win, and a fifth podium of the 2024 season after a frenetic Hungary Sprint Race.
With conditions significantly cooler for the 28-lap Sprint Race, the Invicta Racing duo of Kush Maini and Gabriel Bortoleto were set for a voyage into the unknown from second and seventh on the grid respectively.
READ MORE: 2024 FIA FORMULA 2 HUNGARY QUALIFYING REPORT
Owing to the drop in temperature, many drivers opted for the Soft compound tyre. Among them was Gabriel, who held position through the early corners before snatching sixth at points leader Isack Hadjar’s expense at the end of the first lap.
Kush, meanwhile, started on the Hards and held position into Turn 1, but the fast-starting Kimi Antonelli on Softs surged past into the second corner.
Gabriel quickly began pressuring Dennis Hauger, also running on Soft rubber. Further up the order, Kush was pressuring Richard Verschoor for second.
It wasn’t long before the advantage fell away from the Soft tyre runners, and Gabriel began slipping through the pack. Concurrently, the gap between leader Antonelli and the chasing pair of Verschoor and Maini evaporated and when the Italian ran wide after a lock-up, Kush made his way past into second.
Try as he might, Kush was unable to find a way past Verschoor and eventually settled for second, his fifth podium of the 2024 season. A post-race penalty for Verschoor meant he was disqualified from the final result, handing Kush a maiden F2 victory. Gabriel boxed for fresh tyres and managed to recover to 17th at the flag.
F2 Hungary SPRINT RACE RESULTS
- Gabriel Bortoleto: P16
- Kush Maini: P01, ten points
GABRIEL BORTOLETO
“A disappointing result considering we were just outside the top five at the end of Lap 1. Ultimately, the Softs were the wrong call today. We were conserving the tyres from very early on and just slipped back further and further as the race progressed. Tomorrow is where they hand out the big points so my focus is to maximise what we get out of the Feature Race.”
KUSH MAINI
“That was a really exciting race with the pace of the guys on Softs looking really good early on. Thankfully, the race came back to us towards the second half and from there, it was just about keeping your head. I would’ve liked to take the fight to take the win on the road, but if you don’t have a tyre advantage it’s really tricky to make a move in Hungary. Still, getting my first F2 victory is a special moment in my career.”
ANDY ROCHE, TEAM PRINCIPAL
“A fifth podium of the season for Kush is a great result and to eventually get the win makes it even better. That was a composed drive from him today considering the early pressure from the alternate runners. With Gabriel, we tried something different, and it didn’t work out. Looking towards tomorrow, there’s plenty of opportunity for him in the Feature Race.
