Formula 2 title rivals Gabriel Bortoleto and Paul Aron joke about their respective approaches to the last Sprint Race.
This year’s Formula 2 title is down to the wire, the mere 0.5 point gap between the top two drivers makes it the closest fight in F2 history.
Bortoleto, last year’s rookie Formula 3 champion, leads second-year driver Isack Hadjar by 0.5 points, though rookie Aron is just one Feature Race win’s worth of points behind Hadjar.
The group of them qualified second, third, and fourth in the final qualifying session of the season, Bortoleto leading Aron and Hadjar in lap time. That’s where they’ll start on Sunday, but the reverse grid format puts them seventh, eighth, and ninth for the Sprint Race.
Mentality for the Sprint
Speaking to FormulaNerds and select media, Aron lightheartedly admitted he was planning on enjoying himself in the final Sprint of the year, where he’ll be starting between his two rivals.
Asked if his plan for Saturday was an all out attack, he answered: “No, I think it’s just to enjoy the race and try to do the best I can. In the end I am quite far behind these two guys. Now I am the sandwich between Gabriel and Isack Hadjar. I think I am going to have a lot of fun.
“You should put both onboard cameras on me, normally you only have a front or a rear, but tomorrow I should have both. I think it will be interesting.
“But it will be mainly down to the race pace that you have, that will be the key. The teams have a lot of experience on this track but at the same time, it’s a new car this year. We will see how the race pace is. Whoever has good pace will move forward. In the Sprint there will be guys up front that may not have the pace that we have.
“I think all of us will be quick tomorrow. Points, points, points, in the end I also have a team to take care off. Hitech is in a close battle with MP so I want to give them as many points as I can.”
In one sense, Aron’s rival Bortoleto has less to lose although he’s closer to the championship win, as his future in Formula 1 has been secured with Sauber. When FormulaNerds asked Bortoleto about his plan for the Sprint he answered simply: “Full send.”
Sunday’s polesitter Victor Martins added his own opinion, joking: “Same, full send… I think you should switch off all the cameras and only take the one of Paul and myself and then you’ll have a good angle of the race.”
No matter the result of the Sprint, the battle for the title will come down to the outcome of Sunday’s Feature Race, where Bortoleto will lead Aron and Hadjar behind Martins.
Feature Image Credit: James Sutton – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images