Oliver Bearman was the champion of the F2 Sprint 2024 Qatar GP with Jak Crawford in second position and Richard Verschoor in third.
For the penultimate Sprint Race of the 2024 FIA Formula 2 season, Oliver Bearman lined up on pole. Championship contender Isack Hadjar also lined up on the front row, whilst Championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto started in ninth.
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One Driver Down
As the cars lined up on the grid before the formation lap, officials announced that Josep Maria Marti would not be joining them as he suffered with an issue with his car.
He was due to start the race in 11th position.
Lights Out
Bearman had a strong start off the line despite the difference in tyre compound, keeping the lead ahead of Hadjar.
Victor Martins also had an extremely strong start, moving from seventh to third position whereas Oliver Goethe struggled, dropping from third to seventh position.
Rafael Villagomez was tagged by Max Esterton causing a brief yellow flag however both drivers were able to continue with no issues.
Hadjar Makes The Move
A gamble on the medium tyres rewarded Hadjar on lap two, with the Championship contender making a move on Bearman to take the lead at Turn 10.
Hadjar knew that he needed to maximise in today’s Sprint Race as Championship leader Bortoleto would have the advantage tomorrow, lining up in second.
Bortoleto took seventh position.
Virtual Safety Car
On lap 5, Goethe appeared to have a technical issue with his MP Motorsport car, pulling over to the side of the road.
Therefore, the race was neutralised.
Green Flag
The green flag was flown, with Jak Crawford attempting an immediate lunge on Martins ahead in third position.
However, Martins was able to keep the position, with the ART driver defending well.
Hadjar reported that his Medium tyres were beginning to fall away as Bearman started to close the gap to the leader.
On lap eight of 23, Paul Aron and Bortoleto pushed Richard Verschoor for fifth position but were unable to do so without the help of DRS.
Aron will line up on Pole for tomorrow’s Feature Race, with the Estonian driver taking the role of Alpine Reserve Driver for the 2025 season.
Medium Tyre Struggles
Out in front, Hadjar’s lead was now under three seconds as the Medium tyre runners were clearly starting to struggle.
Martins struggled to hold off Crawford once again as he battled for the last podium position.
With both cars side by side at Turn 7, Crawford voiced over the radio that Martins pushed him off of the track and that he was required to give the position back.
The Halfway Point
Bearman was now 1.7s behind Hadjar, with the lead decreasing dramatically.
Further down the order, Kush Maini was able to make the move on Luke Browning, taking 13th position.
There was a significant DRS train behind Martins in third position down to Kimi Antonelli in 12th position.
A Change Of Lead?
On lap 15 of 23, Bearman was now in DRS range of Hadjar.
However, a good effort from Hadjar in the final sector meant that he was able to keep Bearman out of DRS range by the time they reached the main straight once again.
Martins’ Downfall
Crawford was finally able to make the overtake on Martins on lap 17, moving him onto the last podium position.
The American driver is currently fifth in the Driver Standings for DAMS Lucas Oil where he will be staying for the 2025 season.
Martins’ defence of fourth position was over, with Verschoor overtaking the French driver and dropping him into fifth.
Championship leader Bortoleto ran wide into the gravel. However, he was still able to overtake Martins along with Aron, putting the drivers in sixth and fifth positions, respectively.
Dino Beganovic and Ritoma Miyata made significant contact, dropping the DAMS Lucas Oil driver into 11th position.
With Five Laps To Go…
The fight for the lead was still prominent, with Bearman in DRS range of Hadjar.
With three laps to go, Bearman was able to take the lead over Hadjar once again.
Yellow Flag
Contact at Turn 1 between Kimi Antonelli and Kush Maini saw the yellow flag being waved once again.
Dramatically, Hadjar dropped into fourth position after spinning at Turn 3, proving a costly moment for the Campos driver.
Full Safety Car
With debris on the track and the Invicta of Kush Maini and PREMA of Kimi Antonelli both stranded, a full safety car was deployed.
The race ended under safety car conditions.
Oliver Bearman was the champion of the F2 Sprint Race at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix for PREMA Racing. Jak Crawford finished in second position for DAMS Lucas Oil, with Richard Verschoor in third position for MP Motorsport.
Featured Image Credit: Formula Motorsport Limited
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