Roche hails “very special” Bortoleto after Invicta Racing’s 2024 title double

The chequered flag fell at Yas Marina to crown Invicta Racing and Gabriel Bortoleto as Champions of 2024, the first title double for the team in Formula 2.

Team Principal Andy Roche was effusive in his praise of the Brazilian driver, who finished P2 in Sunday’s Feature Race to secure both honours.

Speaking after the race, Roche says that Bortoleto was in terrific form by the end of the campaign, praising the driver’s ability to adapt and learn as he gained more F2 experience throughout the season.

“What can I say? Fantastic. What a way to end the year. Both titles, job done. It’s incredible. Gabriel has just grown and grown all year long. Got better and better and got to his strongest right at the end. But he deserves it, he really does.”

While Bortoleto’s closest threat in the Drivers’ Championship Isack Hadjar suffered a stall at the start, tensions were still palpable on the pitwall according to the Invicta Team Principal.

Roche says that the team wanted to deliver no matter the circumstances as the British outfit aimed to cap off a momentous 2024 with one final victory.

“It didn’t really to be honest, no. You still want to win all the races. I do feel sorry for Hadjar, that was really cruel, but it could happen to any of us. But it didn’t really ease the tension. We were still fighting very hard to try and win the race.”

Asked to pinpoint the factor behind their success in 2024, Roche points to the team’s work in the build up to the 2024 campaign and ahead of each race.

With the introduction of a brand-new car for the season, Invicta hit the ground running pace-wise and were able to grow throughout the year in terms of performance.

READ MORE: Thoughts of a Champion – Gabriel Bortoleto “Just preparation. Preparation – that’s all we had and that’s what we do. Historically, we’ve always been good in the first year of a new car, so we just did what we always do, and Gabi did the rest.

“It’s the second Teams’ Championship for us, first Drivers’ Championship which means a lot. But to win both together? That’s incredible.”

Reflecting on Bortoleto and the team’s success in the Yas Marina pitlane, Roche says that he expects the Kick Sauber-bound driver to continue to impress next year as he makes the step up to Formula 1.

“His year has been incredible. His capabilities to learn and grow are just immense. I think you’ll see someone very special in F1 over the next couple of years, I really do.”