Championship mindset: How the top three are approaching the F2 finale

6 December 2024

Two races, one round, one Champion. Three drivers remain in mathematical contention, and Formula 2 has its closest title fight in history going into the Yas Marina weekend, with just half a point in it at the top.

But, before on-track action gets underway, hear from all three of the title contenders and get their thoughts on the Championship decider.

Paul Aron, Hitech Pulse-Eight – P3: 163pts

“I’m feeling pretty good coming into this weekend after a very strong weekend in Qatar, it was almost the perfect one. We were just missing the Sprint Race. We dominated Practice, Qualifying and took the win in the Feature, plus the fastest lap.

“Coming into this weekend I have a slight chance at the title, but it’s more on the other two guys. It needs to be a pretty perfect weekend for me again, and a pretty bad one for them. It’s outside of my control, I’ll just focus on doing my job and do the best I can.

“We are all in this to win the Championship, but at the same time, we must not overlook the season we’ve had. From where we started in pre-season, I was hoping for just a few points and the team were struggling.

“The jump we made from that to Round 1 was huge and thank you to Hitech for that. It’s full credit to those guys, the engineers and the mechanics – the whole team.

“We’ve had our ups and downs, led the Championship, scored podiums for seven rounds in a row and then had a mid-season drought. We are in the game after Qatar, but I’d have liked to be closer, especially after the season and the pace we've had.

“But at the same time, again, looking at where we started, it's been an incredible season I've massively enjoyed working with Hitech. We’ve had the quickest average Qualifying pace. We've got the most podiums, and now I've got a race win as well, so there's not much more for us to do. It's just a title. Hopefully, things go our way, but I'm not betting on that, so I’ll just give it my best.”

Isack Hadjar, Campos Racing – P2: 188pts

“I feel excited for the fight. I'm happy to be in Championship contention and it's great to do this at this level.

“99 percent of the job is done, we’ve nearly completed all the targets, but I still need to bring the title home. It won't decide the future for me, I've shown what I could show, now it's this final one and it’s not for fun, but this one is for the team and for myself, whether I win the title or not.

“It's like a bonus. But my main target in life is about winning. So, I have this opportunity to get the title and I'm gonna give my maximum.

“After Qatar and with the gap now, I can just focus on doing your best job possible. It's not like you had a gap and you have to think of tactics, it's really straightforward. It's about doing the best job possible and if you do it, you'll be ahead of the other guy in the end. So that makes it easier.

“I can count the number of mistakes from this year on one hand and that’s progress compared to previous seasons. There are only maybe three main mistakes I've done, or probably two, that didn’t cost me a lot too. I would say it's about being consistent every weekend, just delivering where possible.

“Like last weekend, I literally got the maximum out of the car. We were lacking pace the whole weekend and to bring it home in fourth and second was a mega job from the team as well on the strategic side too. So, we are really confident and in a place where we feel much more at home.”

Gabriel Bortoleto, Invicta Racing – P1: 188.5pts

“I’m feeling confident. Qatar was a very good weekend for us looking at the bigger picture. We were very fast, the car was good, and I was feeling confident. Unfortunately, we had the penalty that took us out of winning contention and some good points.

“But that’s racing, there’s nothing we can do about that now, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. But I’m feeling good ahead of this weekend. I’ve been here before already and looking forward to the weekend.

“Your goal is the same, Qatar doesn’t change anything. It’s obviously tough when you lose a win but you can lose the battle but win the war. That’s exactly the situation I’m in now after Qatar. I lost the battle there, but the Championship is the war, and I need to think bigger picture, that’s what matters.

Yas Marina Preview: It all comes down to this

“I spent one or two days analysing what I could have done better and then moved on to think about Abu Dhabi. Historically, the team has been very good here so I’m very confident we can do a good job.

“I’ve just been looking at the data from last year’s post-season test and it’s funny to see how much I’ve improved my driving since then. I’m now at the final round in my rookie F2 season and fighting for the Championship.

“For me, it would be the dream scenario, everything I’ve worked towards in my entire life. If I go to F1 having won the F3 and F2 titles back-to-back, both years as a rookie, it’s a dream. I’m privileged to be one of those guys and in a position to be fighting to do it.”