Formula 2 held a Qualifying round around the Lusail circuit in Qatar for the first time.
What happened between the race in Baku and Qatar?
As the Formula 2 championship heads into its penultimate weekend in Lusail, the battle at the top intensifies. Gabriel Bortoleto holds a slim lead over Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar, with just 4.5 points separating them. Bortoleto aims to cap off his season with a championship win before making his Formula 1 debut with Sauber next year. Meanwhile, Zane Maloney has fallen out of title contention and will transition to Formula E with Lola Yamaha ABT after the race in Qatar.
Several teams are already setting their sights on the future, unveiling new drivers and plans for 2025. Notable changes include Leonardo Fornaroli, the newly crowned Formula 3 champion, stepping into Zane Maloney’s seat at Rodin for Abu Dhabi before joining Invicta Racing next season. Other fresh faces include Cian Shields, Dino Beganovic, and John Bennett, all making their Formula 2 debuts in the final rounds. Beganovic, a Ferrari Academy driver, replaces Juan Manuel Correa at DAMS, while Bennett, a standout in GB3, joins Van Amersfoort.
Additionally, Williams Academy driver Luke Browning, who debuted in Formula 2 earlier this year, will test a Formula 1 car in FP1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Browning will also continue his F2 campaign and participate in post-season testing. Looking ahead, Christian Mansell has secured a full-time seat with Rodin Motorsport for 2025 after completing this season with Trident.
Green flag – the first quick laps came in
After one practice session, the fight for pole position in the Sprint and Feature race was on.
The drivers methodically warmed up their tyres, preparing for their first set of timed laps. Oliver Bearman initially went fastest for PREMA Racing, narrowly ahead of Victor Martins, but his time at the top was short-lived.
Paul Aron delivered a stunning performance, clocking a 1:37.619 to finish over four-tenths clear of Bearman and claim the session’s fastest lap so far.
Paul Aron goes onto provisional pole with a 1:37.619 ?#F2 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/fKWkHEjLfF
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) November 29, 2024
Max Esterson, graduating from F3 to F2 for Trident, set an impressive lap of 1:37.392, putting him in fourth place for the time being.
Paul Aron surged back to the top of the timesheets, setting a blistering 1:36.614 to secure provisional pole. Victor Martins followed closely, just 0.228 seconds behind, with Oliver Bearman rounding out the top three.
Earlier in the session, the drivers significantly improved their second push laps. Gabriel Bortoleto briefly claimed the fastest time with a 1:36.914.
Second part of Qualifying
As usual, the F2 drivers divide their Qualifying runs into two parts. With less than 15 minutes to go, the drivers headed out for their final runs in Qatar.
While most drivers headed to the pits to switch to their second set of tyres, Gabriel Bortoleto stayed out and maximised his momentum. The Invicta Racing driver delivered a stellar lap, clocking a 1:36.586 to take provisional pole.
Aron returned to the top with a 1:36.088, followed by Bortoleto with a 1:36.432.
Oliver Bearman and Victor Martins had some moments – catching their cars before they crashed through a gravel trap.
Arton topped his own quickest time with a 1:35.427, Bortoleto followed with a 1:35.450 and Martins with a 1:35.570.
Isack Hadjar climbed to sixth, slotting ahead of his Campos Racing teammate Josep María Martí, who sat in eighth.
"Is this guy blind?!" ?
Isack Hadjar isn't having it his own way here
He currently sits down in P9 ?#F2 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/t3SPQ1WT7x
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) November 29, 2024
Aron finalised his time for pole position on a final run with a 1:35.115.
Regarding the reverse grid for the sprint race: the starting grid of Saturday’s Sprint Race will be determined by reversing the top 10 finishers.
Final results
- P. Aron
- G. Bortoleto
- V. Martins
- D. Beganovic
- R. Verschoor
- J. Crawford
- K. Maini
- O. Goethe
- I. Hadjar
- O. Bearman
- A. K. Antonelli
- J. Marti
- M. Esterson
- L. Browning
- R. Miyata
- J. Durksen
- Z. Maloney
- A. Cordeel
- J. Bennett
- C. Mansell
- R. Villagomez
- C. Shields
Feature Image Credit: James Sutton – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images