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Invicta Racing endured a challenging Monza qualifying session in which Kush Maini finished 15th and Gabriel Bortoleto 22nd.
Soaring temperatures and a newly resurfaced track provided a unique challenge for the FIA Formula 2 drivers in Friday’s practice and qualifying sessions.
Running wide at the first corner on his penultimate run and a red flag disruption on his final lap denied Kush Maini the opportunity to record a competitive lap time in practice. He finished the session 20th, while team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto ran in the top spots for most of the session, ending up second overall.
There was little in the way of track running during the first 10 minutes of qualifying, but once cars left the pitlane the action came thick and fast and a red flag disrupted play before either Invicta driver could set a representative lap time.
When the green light was illuminated at the end of the pit lane, the pack was eager to get a banker lap in, but the red flags waved once more and this time, Bortoleto was the cause.
Having run wide at Lesmo 1, the Brazilian ended his session in the gravel trap and last on the timesheets. Kush, meanwhile, set a lap time of 1:32.824 which was enough for 15th.
FREE PRACTICE
- Gabriel Bortoleto: P2, 1:32.530
- Kush Maini: P20, 1:34.107
QUALIFYING
- Kush Maini: P15, 1:32.824
- Gabriel Bortoleto: P22, 1:51.807
KUSH MAINI
That was a tough session to get dialled in, the red flags really disrupt your rhythm. I struggled to get a clean lap in practice too, so it was just a messy day overall. You never want a Friday to pan out like that but hopefully, because we’re at Monza, we can make a decent recovery in the races.
GABRIEL BORTOLETO
It’s a shame to make a mistake like that in qualifying, considering the pace we showed earlier in practice. But if you can make a comeback anywhere, it’s Monza, so there’s still points to play for this weekend. It’s a big ask from last on the grid, but I’m up for the challenge.
