Just 4.5 points separated title contenders Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar going into the F2 Feature Race at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP.
[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
Victor Martins lined up on pole, with Championship leader Bortoleto also on the front row.
Kimi Antonelli once again did not take part in his final race with PREMA due to illness.
Green Light
Martins struggled to get off the line, as Bortoleto had an excellent start and took the lead.
It was also a good start for Invicta’s Kush Maini, who got ahead of yesterday’s Sprint Race winner Pepe Marti.
Heartbreak For Hadjar
It was disaster for Hadjar who stalled and did not get off the starting line.
He was wheeled back into the pit lane before making his way back onto the track, although he was at the back of the field.
The Championship fight appeared to be over on just Lap One.
From Lap Three
Marti was increasingly struggling for pace and therefore lost P3 to Joshua Durksen, who also had a good start.
Bortoleto was now a second and a half clear of Maini in second, who had a significant DRS train behind me that included Durksen, Marti, Dino Beganovic and Martins.
Jak Crawford and Rafael Villagomez retired in the pit lane.
A Busy Pit Lane
On Lap Seven, much of the field decided to pit to get rid of their Supersoft tyres, including Maini, Oliver Bearman and Championship leader Bortoleto.
Marti took the race lead, although Bortoleto kept the net race lead.
However, Bortoleto ran wide at Turn Six, giving Durksen the advantage to take the place at Turn Nine.
Following this, Martins followed him through a corner later, giving the French driver the net race lead.
Hadjar also pitted, coming out at the back of the field.
From Lap 13
Marti was still first out on track, with the MP Motorsport driver Richard Verschoor 2.1s behind in second.
However, Durksen in P8 had the lead on the alternate strategy, with Martins behind and Bortoleto in third.
Verschoor was still increasingly closing the gap on Marti at the front, with just 1.3s covering them.
[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
Further behind, Oliver Goethe and Bearman were battling for P12, with the F1-bound PREMA driver getting ahead at Turn Six before.
A Change In Lead
Verschoor gets ahead on Marti under breaking at Turn Six.
Whereas Durksen, Martins and Bortoleto get ahead of Cian Shield, the car at the back of the pack on the alternate strategy.
In the battle for P4 amongst the drivers who are yet to pit, Luke Browning and Paul Aron overtook Max Esterson.
Aron was on the attack, diving down the inside of Browning at Turn Nine to take P4 on Lap 22.
10 Laps Remaining
Although Durksen still had the net race lead, he was stuck behind Esterson, brining Martins and Bortoleto into play.
Back at the front, Verschoor had incredible pace, matching Durksen with a 20s advantage over him.
Marti was the first of the Medium tyre runners to pit, followed in by Cordeel and Browning.
In P17, Christian Mansell was shown the black and white flag for track limits.
The Final Laps
With all of the Medium tyre runners pitting, Durksen was in first position, followed by Martins and Championship leader Bortoleto in P3.
With four laps remaining, Bortoleto made the move on Martins and was therefore on the charge to ensure he could celebrate his title on the top step.
Verschoor and Marti were also flying, with the MP driver passing Bearman for P4.
The battle for the final spot on the podium was on.
On the final lap, Verschoor was now in DRS range of Martins.
Crucially, Martins ran wide at the final corner, giving Verschoor the chance to dive down the inside at Turn One and take the final podium position.
Joshua Durksen took first position in the F2 Feature Race at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP. He was followed by 2024 F2 Champion Gabriel Bortoleto, with Victor Martins taking the final podium spot.
Featured Image Credit: Dutch Photo Agency
[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.