Pepe Marti was the champion of the F2 Sprint Race at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP for Campos Racing. Championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto extended his lead ahead of rival Isack Hadjar.
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Amaury Cordeel lined up in pole with Joshua Durksen also on the front row. Ritoma Miyata lined up in P3.
Many of the drivers shuffled forwards on the grid as Kimi Antonelli retired from taking part in the Sprint due to illness.
Half a point separated Championship title fighters Bortoleto and Hadjar.
Lights Out
Pepe Marti had a dream getaway off the start, moving from P4 to P1 ahead of pole sitter Cordeel.
Bortoleto cleared both Paul Aron and Hadjar, with the Red Bull junior driver seemingly having damage to his front wing endplate.
Kush Maini also had an incredible start, improving through the field from from P8 to P2.
Yellow Flag
A brief yellow flag was shown as Victor Martins was spun at Turn 6 by Miyata.
This resulted in a 10-second time penalty for the Rodin that started P3 for causing a collision.
Settling Into A Rhythm
After a frantic start, the drivers appeared to settle into a rhythm on Lap Four.
Championship leader Bortoleto was now in fourth position, with his closest rival Hadjar still in ninth position
The damage to the driver’s Red Bull livery machine was caused by him being squeezed between Maini and Miyata on Lap One.
Bortoleto passed his teammate for second position, with everything going according to plan for his title fight.
By Lap Seven, Marti lead Bortoleto by 4.1s.
Aron was the contender on the move, clearing Durksen into Turn Six for fifth, with DRS allowing him to also pass Maini for fourth along the back straight.
Hadjar Improves
On Lap Nine, Hadjar finally improved into the points.
He was able to pass Maini for eighth position, who was also passed by Oliver Bearman, Dino Beganovic and Hadjar respectively as he struggled for grip.
By Lap 11, Bortoleto was closing the gap on race leader Marti. It was down to 3.1s as the halfway stage approached.
“Defending For His Life”
Hadjar voiced that Beganovic was “defending for his life” as they fought for seventh position.
Beganovic went slightly deep into Turn Six giving Hadjar a chance.
However, it was great defensive driving from the DAMS from Turns Nine to 14, keeping him ahead.
Importantly, the gap in front was still decreasing, with Marti’s advantage standing at 2.6s.
Eight Laps Remaining…
On Lap 15, Bearman and Max Esterson were both given the black and white flag for exceeding track limits. This was their final warning before a time penalty.
Marti and Bortoleto were matching times out front, with Marti’s advantage still standing at 2.6s.
A big lock-up for Cordeel into Turn 12 hindered his podium chances, with teammate Aron and Durksen on his gearbox.
Consequently, Aron was able to make the move on his teammate at Turn 10 for the last podium position.
Yellow Flag
Contact between Cordeel and Durksen caused a spin for the latter at Turn Six.
Bearman was the winner of this result, claiming fourth position from the Hitech.
However, this was quickly shattered as the F1-bound driver received a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits.
Cordeel also receved a 10-second penalty for causing a collision, with Durksen having to retire from the race.
The Final Laps
On Lap 20, Beganovic took fifth from Cordeel at Turn Six.
Bortoleto was pushing yet struggling for grip, locking up at Turn 12 as Marti had a 2.1s advantage ahead.
Similarly, Hadjar was also struggling for grip in seventh position yet was able to overtake Cordeel for sixth.
Pepe Marti was the champion of the F2 Sprint Race at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP for Campos Racing. Championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto finished in second position for Invicta Racing, with Paul Aron in third for Hitech.
Featured Image Credit: Formula Motorsport Limited
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