Guest Column
Bruno Michel’s Debrief: Piastri has a firm hand on the crown
CEO Bruno Michel looks back at an eventful seventh round of the 2021 season and picks out his key topics from Jeddah.
Michel discussed Oscar Piastri’s continuously impressive form, tipped his hat to Teams’ Champions PREMA and spoke about the collision between Enzo Fittipaldi and Théo Pourchaire at the start of the Feature Race, wishing the Brazilian a speedy recovery.
A FIRM HAND ON THE CROWN
After Round 7, Oscar Piastri only needs a few points to grab the 2021 F2 title. Again, he was the fastest man in Qualifying, taking a fourth pole position in a row to add four points to his impressive tally. In the second Sprint Race, he claimed another win before taking victory in the Feature Race.
The events of Sunday’s race meant that we could not run full distance, and only half of the points were awarded. Needless to say, that Oscar will arrive in Abu Dhabi very relaxed. He has been mighty impressive all season long, and I do not doubt that he will finish the season strongly.
PREMA RACING ARE TEAM CHAMPIONS
This may have flown under the radar, with everyone’s thoughts with Enzo Fittipaldi and Théo Pourchaire, but at the end of the Feature Race, PREMA Racing had scored enough points to retain their F2 crown, thanks to Oscar Piastri and Robert Shwartzman who finished 1-2.
The Russian driver has overtaken Guanyu Zhou in the standings, and he should be praised for a strong season with two wins, seven podiums and three fastest laps so far. He can still mathematically challenge his teammate for the Drivers’ Championship, and although the odds do not seem to be in his favour, he says he is all in and will give his all until the very last lap of the 2021 season.
With the Team Title already sealed, PREMA will focus on providing their drivers with the best cars so that they can both fight at their highest level.
A FIRST WIN FOR ARMSTRONG AND DAMS
It has been a tough and challenging season for DAMS and Marcus Armstrong. I was pleased to finally see them take a first win in 2021 in the first Sprint Race. It feels like a just reward knowing how hard they have been working all year long to achieve this result. Let’s see if they can keep the momentum this week in Abu Dhabi.
ANOTHER WELL DESERVED FIRST
Ralph Boschung has always been a clean and competitive driver. He’s come close to getting a maiden F2 podium on several occasions. Finally, in the Feature Race in Jeddah, he was able to take third place. It may have been a shortened race, but he was at the right place, at the right time.
This was also Campos’ first podium this season, something that would have made the late Adrian Campos happy. With Ralph already announced on the 2022 grid with the Spanish team, this result could mean the start of a strong campaign for them.
SCARE AND RELIEF
We all held our breath after the start of our Feature Race on Sunday, following the collision between Théo Pourchaire and Enzo Fittipaldi on the grid. We are thankful to the medical team who attended both drivers quickly.
We remained in constant contact with the families and were very relieved to hear that both were conscious when they were extricated from their cars, with Théo being released from hospital that same evening. We would like to wish Enzo a speedy recovery…
A SPECTACULAR AND EXCITING NEW VENUE
Our first trip to Jeddah was very interesting. The track delivered some great racing on Saturday, with the drivers put to the test and chasing its limits. All of them have said that they have enjoyed racing on this challenging layout. It is a great addition to our calendar, and we are looking forward to going back in just a few months.