Bruno’s Take - Round 11

FIA Formula 2 CEO Bruno Michel looks back over another weekend of excellent racing and picks out his key topics from Round 11 in Sochi. He discusses Nyck de Vries’ title win, the fight that is now on for second place, and the hotly contested Teams’ Championship.

A Well-Deserving Champion

Nyck De Vries only had to score a handful of points to seal the title in Russia, but the pressure was still on as his closest rivals were not going to give up the fight. Nyck did everything right though: he took pole position and then went on to win the Feature Race, effectively making him our 2019 Champion. He has been focused, consistent and smart all season long. He has not had the easiest career path to this title, but he overcame all obstacles. He never lost focus and he kept faith in his potential. He is a great Champion. Congratulations Nyck!

It’s Not Over Yet

Behind De Vries, the second and third place finishers are yet to be determined with four drivers still in the race: Nicholas Latifi leads the way, 10 points over Luca Ghiotto. Both men scored a podium finish in Sochi, the Italian adding a sprint race win to his tally. They are in the best position to claim second and third, but behind them, Sérgio Sette Câmara and Jack Aitken have what it takes to steal their thunder in the standings in the final round at Yas Marina. I’m very interested to see how they will all handle the season finale and who will come out on top.

Top Teams

At the moment, and with one round to go, we don’t know who will be crowned Team champions yet. DAMS and UNI-Virtuosi Racing are the only two outfits who can still claim the title. Both have been extremely competitive all season long, and were each able to count on a strong line-up. Both of them are also fighting for positions in the Drivers’ standings with Latifi, Ghiotto and Sette Câmara eyeing second and third place finishes. There will be a lot of tension between them while ART Grand Prix and Carlin will also push hard to move up from their current third and fourth positions.

Sprint Race Scare

I was very relieved to hear that neither Nobuharu Matsushita nor Nikita Mazepin had been injured in the nasty collision that occurred in the opening lap of Sunday’s race. Once the track was clear, the drivers fought tooth and nails for positions, with Ghiotto displaying a defensive masterclass to stay ahead of our newly crowned champion.