Zak O’Sullivan has won his first ever F2 race at the 2024 Monaco F2 Feature following a last-lap upset. He stole the win from Isack Hadjar, who was leading following the retirement of polesitter Richard Verschoor. Paul Aron finished in P3.
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O’Sullivan clinched the win by sheer luck, waiting until two laps before the end of the race to pit, seconds before a Safety Car. The pit stop was therefore legal and meant he could return to the track before Hadjar.
At Lights Out
Richard Verschoor had a great start at lights out at the 2024 Monaco F2 Feature, leading Isack Hadjar through the first corner. Victor Martins, hoping to have a better day amidst a horrible start to the season, unfortunately had a terrible start, dropping 13 places. Paul Aron slotted into P3.
There was more misery for Martins, who had dropped a further two places to P16 by the end of Lap 2.
Gabriel Bortoleto, on the supersoft tyres, made a great move past Denis Hauger round the outside of the Hairpin on Lap 2. Meanwhile, Jak Crawford was out at Turn 8 and an incident was noted between him and Kush Maini for causing a collision. There was no yellow flag, as the car was recovered quickly.
Paul Aron was dropping back into the clutches of Franco Colapinto, 1.5 seconds off of P2. However, he still had the fastest lap with a 1:24.139. At the same time, Roman Stanek was on the radio – Antonelli was losing dry ice all over the track in front of him.
First Retirement
Amaury Cordeel was back into the pits on Lap 8, retiring from the race with rear suspension damage.
Pepe Martí was in first for his stop, putting on the Softs on Lap 11. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, on the hunt for Colapinto, set the fastest lap with a 1:23.672.
On Lap 16 of the Monaco F2 Feature, the pressure was on as the drivers had started to filter in for the mandatory pitstops and strategy began to come into play. Bearman, after a devastating pitstop in Imola, had a much better stop coming out in P17.
Meanwhile, Colapinto was under pressure by Antonelli, but the Italian had nowhere to go on the tight Monaco streets. Strategy would prove to be the determining factor for points in the 2024 Monaco F2 Feature.
There was panic for leader Verschoor on Lap 20, just under half way through the are, who was on the radio to say he’s ‘breaking down’. However, he was able to keep going and retain the lead.
Rafael Villagomez had front wing damage as he entered the pits after a collision with the wall on Lap 20. He would not return from the pits, having retired.
More Bad News for Verschoor
More bad news for Verschoor on Lap 21, as himself and Hadjar were noted for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
PREMA drama continued on Lap 22 as Antonelli exited the pits, both F1-bound drivers battling wheel-to-wheel through Lap 23. Bearman emerged victorious from the battle in P13.
Leader Verschoor entered the pits on Lap 24. A slow stop caused yet more issues for Verschoor, who emerged ahead of Hadjar who was on the hunt for the win. His cold tyres meant Verschoor had to work hard to retain the lead as Hadjar stalked him through the Tunnel. As they emerged, the two were still in the same position, but soon enough Hadjar was out and into P1 on Lap 25.
Verschoor, now struggling, was fighting the silver Hitech of Paul Aron. Both were off the road at the Nouveau Chicane, but Aron was the one to come out ahead. It was a terrible race for Verschoor, suffering from issues with his car. Bearman was millimetres away from a race-ending incident now in a bid to get past the ex-race leader, finally passing for a potential podium position. Colapinto was next to pass the stricken Trident.
Retirement for Verschoor
To add insult to injury, a 5-second penalty for Verschoor was handed out for leaving the track and gaining an advantage – a drop in the ocean for the Dutchman. He entered the pits on Lap 29 to serve his penalty, putting on another set of tyres but returning to the track only to retire a lap later. Even after he had retired, he was noted by the stewards for a pit lane infringement. It will be investigated after the race.
Bearman, pushing his tyres to the limit, was struggling to stay on the road at the Nouvelle Chicane. He was under immense pressure from Juan Manuel Correa, who was hot on his heels for a potential podium position.
At Lap 36 of 42, three drivers leading the pack were still to pit – the two ARTs of O’Sullivan and Martins, who hadn’t recovered from his terrible start, and Joshua Durksen.
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Aron was all over the back of Hadjar, who hit the wall and was left all out of sorts. At the same time, Taylor Barnard was into the side of Maloney, suffering damage in the process but keeping on the track. There was no further action by the stewards on that.
Late Safety Car Chaos
Dürksen was out with a puncture after Maloney careered into the side of him, sending Dürksen into the air. That opened the door for O’Sullivan who made it into the pits before the Safety Car. What’s more, the legal pit stop would see him come out in P1, immediately changing his luck.
There was chaos on Lap 38, with the midfield all fighting for position. Martins also entered the pits for his pit stop.
Hadjar had just had his victory stolen on the last lap by O’Sullivan, who would have been half way down the pack without the sheer luck of a Safety Car. Paul Aron finished in P3.
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