We are now halfway through the 2024 Formula 2 season and there has already been historic points winners, race winners and new records. The historic moments sit alongside some surprises both from drivers and teams, with new car regulations also. Let’s take look at the season so far.
Paul Aron now holds the record for most consecutive podiums per round in the two-race weekend format. He achieved his seventh podium in the Sprint race in Austria. The previous record was held by Fredrik Vesti with six. Including the historic Formula 2 format, Nyck de Vries still holds the overall record with nine podiums consecutively in a season. However, when the Dutchman claimed that record, the series held three races per weekend.
Unpredictable Race Wins
In the 14 races we’ve had so far this season, we have had 12 different winners. Winners of the sprint races were Zane Maloney, Dennis Hauger, Roman Staněk, Franco Colapinto, Taylor Barnard, Victor Martins, and Ollie Bearman stood atop the podium. In Feature races, we saw Zane Maloney, Enzo Fittipaldi, Isack Hadjar, Zak O’Sullivan, Jak Crawford and Gabriel Bortoleto victorious in the 2024 Formula 2 season.
Pole position also contributes to the points in the Championship. Drivers receive two extra Championship points for classifying in P1 in Quali. In seven rounds there have been five different drivers claiming Pole; Bortoleto, Maini, Hauger, Verschoor and Aron. But interestingly enough, no Feature race this season has been won from Pole.
Current Drivers Standings F2 2024
So far, the 2024 Formula 2 season is closer than 2023, with the top five within 30 points of each other – after seven rounds last year, there was a gap of 40 points. However, it’s crucial to consider that in 2023 the drivers that finished first (Theo Pourchaire) and second (Frederik Vesti) in the Championship had the majority of their points come from the first three rounds. Last year’s third place driver Jack Doohan, however, had only had 32% of his points total from the first seven rounds. By the Round 4 Feature race, all drivers this season had points in the championship.
| # | DRIVER | POINTS | # | DRIVER | POINTS |
| 01 | P. Aron | 115 | 12 | Z. O’Sullivan | 41 |
| 02 | I. Hadjar | 106 | 13 | J. Correa | 30 |
| 03 | G. Bortoleto | 85 | 14 | O. Bearman | 28 |
| 04 | Z. Maloney | 75 | 15 | A. Cordeel | 23 |
| 05 | F. Colapinto | 75 | 16 | J. Dürksen | 22 |
| 06 | J. Crawford | 65 | 17 | V. Martins | 21 |
| 07 | D. Hauger | 62 | 18 | R. Miyata | 19 |
| 08 | K. Maini | 52 | 19 | R. Verschoor | 17 |
| 09 | J. Martí | 49 | 20 | R. Staněk | 13 |
| 10 | A. Antonelli | 48 | 21 | T. Barnard | 12 |
| 11 | E. Fittipaldi | 42 | 22 | R. Villagómez | 8 |
Team Standings
One of the biggest shocks of the season so far is the Constructors standings. Favorites and past winners ART, PREMA and Trident are all in the bottom half of the standings. It is very close within the top 4 teams; Campos Racing, Hitech Pulse-Eight, MP Motorsport and Invicta Racing are all teams that in previous years have had one-off wins. This year, their drivers are more consistent, getting crucial points for the Constructors Championship.
| # | TEAM | POINTS |
| 01 | Campos Racing | 155 |
| 02 | Hitech Pulse-Eight | 138 |
| 03 | MP Motorsport | 137 |
| 04 | Invicta Racing | 137 |
| 05 | DAMS Lucas Oil | 95 |
| 06 | Rodin Motorsport | 94 |
| 07 | PREMA Racing | 76 |
| 08 | ART Grand Prix | 62 |
| 09 | Van Amersfoort Racing | 50 |
| 10 | AIX Racing | 34 |
| 11 | Trident | 30 |
The top four constructors have all scored points in every round of the 2024 Formula 2 season, however no team has earned points in every race of the first seven rounds. PREMA is also one of the teams outside of the top 4 to have scored points each round however they have mostly been the lowest points awarded.
Let’s review by round what has unfolded throughout the 2024 Formula 2 season so far:
Round One – Bahrain
Zane Maloney started off the season strong with a win in both the Sprint race and Feature race. Maloney is one of the top contenders for the title this year, after a good rookie season in 2023 where he finished in the top half of the standings.
For drivers like Kimi Antonelli and Joshua Dürksen, who have no experience on this track moving from FRECA (European circuits) to the Middle East, Bahrain proved to be a difficult one for them. In the Qualifying session, 2023 F3 Champion Gabriel Bortoleto took pole position. Kush Maini originally set the fastest time but was disqualified due to violation of the series regulations surrounding the undertray. Jak Crawford was on reverse pole for the Sprint race.
However, neither Bortoleto or Crawford were able to convert the pole to a win with Maloney winning both. In the Sprint it was Maloney, Crawford, and Pepe Martí on the podium, in the feature Zane took the top step with Martí P2 and Paul Aron in P3.
Similar to F3, it’s not a support race without some penalties. As mentioned, a Maini had his Pole taken away, but rookie driver Rafael Villagómez also received a ten-second penalty for causing a collision. He was out of the points for the Sprint race. In the Feature race, Villagómez received another time penalty of five seconds along with Aron and Richard Verschoor for speeding the pit lane.
| 1 | Zane Maloney | 36 |
| 2 | Pepe Martí | 24 |
| 3 | Paul Aron | 19 |
| 4 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 15 |
| 5 | Zak O’Sullivan | 14 |
| 1 | Rodin Motorsport | 38 |
| 2 | Campos Racing | 29 |
| 3 | Invicta Racing | 21 |
| 4 | Hitech Pulse-Eight | 19 |
| 5 | ART Grand Prix | 14 |
Round Two – Jeddah
Round Two of the 14-race season took place in Jeddah, where the fast speeds and sharp turns have proven difficult for F2 drivers in the past. There have been close calls and accidents in the years racing there so far.
One of the biggest headlines of this round was that Ollie Bearman, who qualified on Pole, withdrew from the F2 race weekend. Instead, he replaced Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari for his F1 debut after the Spaniard was forced to withdraw suffering from appendicitis. Because of this, after his DSQ the previous week, Kush Maini inherited the pole position with Martí on reverse pole for the Sprint. A few key things to mention; Juan Manuel Correa received a three place grid penalty for impending, and Amaury Cordeel carried over into the Sprint race a five place grid penalty for causing a collision in the Bahrain Feature. Rafael Villagómez did not take part in Qualifying due to a crash in free practice but was allowed to take part in both races at the back of the grid.
Trident Disqualifications
In the Sprint race, Richard Verschoor crossed the finish line first. However, himself and fellow Trident teammate Roman Stanek were both disqualified for an incorrect throttle pedal progressivity map installed before the race, which is not in compliance within the technical regulations. From the DSQ, Dennis Hauger inherited the win with Aron and Enzo Fittipaldi joining on the podium.
Once again, Pole was not converted to a win and Enzo Fittipaldi was able to take the win with Kush Maini P2 and Dennis Hauger on the podium. Josh Dürksen crossed the line ninth but was given a ten-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, losing points. Also, Victor Martins crossed the line tenth but was given a five-second time penalty for causing a collision.
| 1 | Zane Maloney | 47 |
| 2 | Enzo Fittipaldi | 32 |
| 3 | Dennis Hauger | 31 |
| 4 | Paul Aron | 29 |
| 5 | Kush Maini | 27 |
| 1 | Rodin Motorsport | 49 |
| 2 | Invicta Racing | 42 |
| 3 | MP Motorsport | 39 |
| 4 | Hitech Pulse-Eight | 39 |
| 5 | Van Amersfoort Racing | 34 |
Round Three – Melbourne
Continuing with new tracks for the drivers, we returned to Melbourne for a second year, racing around Albert Park.
Dennis Hauger took the fastest time for Pole, with Roman Staněk on reverse pole for the Sprint. Crucially, Jak Crawford and Victor Martins were unable to classify within the 107% time after crashing. However, they were given permission to take part at the back of the grid.
Heartbreak for Hadjar
While it might have looked like Staněk converted the pole to a win, it was initially Isack Hadjar that crossed the line first. However, he was later given a ten-second time penalty for causing a big collision at the start of the race. The incident saw Bortoleto and Martí retire from the race. This meant Hadjar’s final classification position was P6 and Staněk was given the win. Joining Staněk on the podium was Hauger and Maini. Ollie Bearman was originally able to score his first points of the season, but the stewards gave him a ten-second time penalty for forcing a driver off track. This moved him from P8 to P14 and out of the points.
The Feature race was redemption for Hadjar as he took the finish line in P1, in what could’ve been a double race weekend win. Joining him on the podium, keeping his podium per round streak, was Paul Aron in P2 and Zane Maloney came home in P3.
Franco Colapinto originally finished seventh but was later disqualified due to the car failing to engage in the race start set up procedure, which is a breach of the technical regulations.
| 1 | Zane Maloney | 62 |
| 2 | Paul Aron | 47 |
| 3 | Dennis Hauger | 41 |
| 4 | Isack Hadjar | 34 |
| 5 | Kush Maini | 33 |
| 1 | Rodin Motorsport | 78 |
| 2 | Campos Racing | 60 |
| 3 | Hitech Pulse-Eight | 57 |
| 4 | MP Motorsport | 54 |
| 5 | Invicta Racing | 48 |
Round Four – Imola
Returning after last year’s Imola round being cancelled due to flooding, this was the first European track and a track very well known to all drivers on the grid from their years of racing in lower series.
In Qualifying, Bortoleto took pole with Amaury Cordeel on reverse for the sprint race. Looking to the Sprint race, two drivers received grid place penalties for causing collisions in Melbourne. Josh Dürksen was given three places, whereas Zak O’Sullivan was given five.
In the Sprint, Franco Colapinto took his first ever F2 win, joined by Aron and Maloney on the podium. Ollie Bearman also scored his first points of the season finishing fifth. However, there was another disqualification which went to Taylor Barnard, who originally finished seventh. Similar to Franco Colapinto in Melbourne, the AIX Racing car was not engaged in the race start set-up procedure.
Isack Hadjar won back-to-back Feature Races in both Melbourne and in Imola, clinching victory from pole-sitter Bortoleto in the latter. The podium was completed by Joshua Dürksen who gave his team, AIX Racing, their first ever Formula 2 podium. He also became the first Paraguayan driver both to score points and to achieve a top three finish in Formula 2.
| 1 | Zane Maloney | 68 |
| 2 | Paul Aron | 63 |
| 3 | Isack Hadjar | 59 |
| 4 | Dennis Hauger | 41 |
| 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 38 |
| 1 | Campos Racing | 85 |
| 2 | Rodin Motorsport | 84 |
| 3 | Hitech Pulse-Eight | 78 |
| 4 | MP Motorsport | 75 |
| 5 | Invicta Racing | 72 |
Round Five – Monaco
One of the most anticipated races for an F2 driver is on the streets of Monaco. It’s a race all drivers want to win at besides their home race if possible. Similar to F3, Qualifying was split into two groups. In group A, Verschoor set the fastest time by a comfortable margin. In his group, however, Ritomo Miyata failed to classify within the 107% time window but was given permission to race. He suffered from engine problems and Hadjar was lucky to avoid a collision with the stricken Rodin at the start of the tunnel. In group B, Martins was the fastest. However, out of the top two, Verschoor was overall the fastest, thus given the pole position and the two Championship points. On reverse pole was Taylor Barnard. Similar to Miyata, Rafael Villagómez did not set a time within the 107% but was allowed to race by the stewards.
Pole to P1 for the First Time in the 2024 Formula 2 Season
For the first time this season, the driver that started on pole was able to convert the win. Taylor Barnard, who has been having a great season not only racing in Formula 2 in 2024, but also in Formula E, won the Monaco GP for AIX Racing. Bortoleto, and Hauger also joined him on the podium finishing in P2 and P3 respectively.
In the Feature race, it was not as straight forward as the Sprint. Pole sitter Verschoor had to retire over halfway into the race after having a comfortable lead. His retirement was due to driveshaft issues. It was a double British victory in Monaco after Zak O’Sullivan was victorious in the Feature. Hadjar looked poised to win, before a crucial pit stop strategy worked in his favour following a Safety Car in the final laps, giving him the win. Alongside him were Hadjar and Aron. With Aron’s consistency, he was able to take lead of the 2024 Formula 2 Championship standings.
| 1 | Paul Aron | 80 |
| 2 | Isack Hadjar | 78 |
| 3 | Zane Maloney | 69 |
| 4 | Dennis Hauger | 56 |
| 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 50 |
| 1 | Campos Racing | 104 |
| 2 | Hitech Pulse-Eight | 95 |
| 3 | MP Motorsport | 94 |
| 4 | Rodin Motorsport | 85 |
| 5 | Invicta Racing | 84 |
Round Six – Barcelona
Kicking off the only triple header of the 2024 Formula 2 season, drivers returned to a track where they have spent a lot of time in pre-season and mid-season testing; the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
In Qualifying, Paul Aron took Pole for the first time with Kush Maini on reverse pole. Maini was promoted due to Dürksen serving a penalty from Monaco. Coming off a race win in Monaco, Taylor Barnard unfortunately crashed out during Qualifying. He did not set a time within the 107% timeframe. However, the stewards allowed him to race from the back of the grid for both races.
Success for Martins
In the Sprint race, it was Martins’ first win of the season, giving us a new race winner for the 2024 season. Track limits proved to be a problem for the drivers, with six drivers receiving penalties during the race and post race. Juan Manuel Correa came across the line P3 after a great three-way battle. It was nearly five years to the day since his last podium back in 2019 alongside the late Antoine Hubert. However, after the race he was one of the drivers to receive a time penalty. This dropped him down to the last points-paying position. Maini finished second and Aron inherited the final podium spot. As mentioned, other drivers to receive track limit penalties were Kimi Antonelli, Rafael Villagómez and Zane Maloney receiving five seconds; Dennis Hauger and Franco Colapinto were give ten second penalties for more than five track limits violations.
For the Feature race, it was a DAMS double podium with Jak Crawford taking the win and redemption for Correa to finish and remain in P3. It was exactly five years to the date of his last podium. In the middle of the DAMS drivers was Franco Colapinto. No penalties were handed out for track limits in the Feature, however there was a five-second time penalty for causing a collision given to Gabriel Bortoleto.
| 1 | Paul Aron | 100 |
| 2 | Isack Hadjar | 91 |
| 3 | Zane Maloney | 75 |
| 4 | Jak Crawford | 62 |
| 5 | Dennis Hauger | 56 |
| 1 | Campos Racing | 120 |
| 2 | Hitech Pulse-Eight | 119 |
| 3 | MP Motorsport | 112 |
| 4 | Invicta Racing | 105 |
| 5 | Rodin Motorsport | 94 |
Round Seven – Austria
We were in Spielberg for the second weekend of the triple header at the Red Bull Ring. The track has been visited by F2 since 2017, and is a well-loved track for its action-packed racing. It was Hauger who clinched the Pole position and the extra two points. Dürksen was hot on his heels in P2, just 0.008s behind. Maini would start the Sprint on reverse grid pole.
After a rocky start to the season, it was a great result for PREMA’s Ollie Bearman who would finish the Sprint in P1 following a great getaway at the start. He was able to hold off Pepe Martí in second place ahead of Championship leader Paul Aron in third.
Bortoleto’s Maiden Victory
Invicta’s Bortoleto, was victorious in the Feature race for the first time in his F2 career, beating out Colapinto and Hadjar to the top spot. Championship leader Aron could only finish in P6 after receiving a penalty for moving under breaking in a tussle with Hadjar. While the weekend had no effect on the Championship competitors in P1 and P2, it seen Bortoleto leapfrog to P3 while Maloney and Colapinto were neck-and-neck in P4 and P5. MP Motorsport and Invicta Racing were now on equal points in the Constructors Championship down in P3 and P4.
| 1 | Paul Aron | 117 |
| 2 | Isack Hadjar | 106 |
| 3 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 85 |
| 4 | Zane Maloney | 75 |
| 5 | Franco Colapinto | 75 |
| 1 | Campos Racing | 143 |
| 2 | Hitech Pulse-Eight | 142 |
| 3 | MP Motorsport | 137 |
| 4 | Invicta Racing | 137 |
| 5 | DAMS Lucas Oil | 96 |
Racing continues this week at Silverstone for Formula 2. Who will come out on top after another weekend of action?
Featured Image photo credit: Formula Motorsport Limited
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