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The story of our 2024 Title Contenders and how they got to this point
What started as 22 is now down to three heading to the season-finale at Yas Marina where Gabriel Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar and Paul Aron could be crowned as the 2024 Formula 2 Champion.
Bortoleto currently leads the way on 188.5 points, just half a point clear of Hadjar, while Aron is a little way back on 163 points.
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But before we hit the ground running at the Yas Marina Circuit, just how did these three drivers put themselves in this position.
Let’s look at their seasons so far…
Gabriel Bortoleto, Invicta Racing
- Points: 188.5
- Wins: 2
- Podiums: 6
- Poles: 2
The Brazilian came into the Championship fresh from winning the Formula 3 title and made a fast start to the year with a Pole Position in Sakhir.
He wound up scoring points in both races on debut but after a few DNFs in Jeddah and Melbourne, it was not until Imola that things went Bortoleto’s way.
Pole Position on Friday turned to into a maiden podium in the Feature Race, finishing second, before another P2 finish followed in the Monte Carlo Sprint Race.
This kicked off an outstanding level of consistency from Bortoleto, who since his retirement on Sunday in Melbourne has scored points in 14 of the 16 races coming into Abu Dhabi.
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During that time, he has achieved two victories, the first at Spielberg and the second, and arguably the most memorable of the season, was in Monza when he went from last to first in the Feature Race.
He did also cross the line first in the Lusail Feature Race, but a five-second penalty dropped him down to third. This means heading into the final round, Bortoleto has two victories, six podiums, two Pole Positions.
If he adds to his tally in any of these categories this weekend, it will go a long way to seeing him crowned as the second back-to-back Formula 3 and Formula 2 Champion after Oscar Piastri.
Isack Hadjar, Campos Racing
- Points: 188
- Wins: 4
- Podiums: 8
- Pole: 1
Just half a point back of Bortoleto is Hadjar, who has put himself in this position with his excellence on a Sunday.
In the 13 Feature Races so far this year, he has finished in the points eight times, seven of those have been on the podiums, while four of those have been as the winner.
This means Hadjar has the most podiums and victories this year and needs one more triumph on Sunday to tie Charles Leclerc for the most Feature Race wins in a season with five.
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Where Hadjar has been hurt this year is the five DNFs, as Bortoleto picked up form after the summer break while he and Campos went without scoring points in Monza and Baku.
This was surprising as this followed a weekend at Spa-Francorchamps when he won the Feature Race ahead of Bortoleto and Aron and took a 36-point lead into the summer break.
But despite all those victories and podiums, Hadjar arguably had his best performance at a race weekend in Lusail, beating Bortoleto in both races even though he and Campos struggled for pace.
After finishing fourth in the Sprint, Bortoleto and Aron looked to be in a league of their own in the Feature, but Hadjar’s decision to brave it out and wait for a Safety Car put him up into third.
From then on, it was a battle to stay within five-seconds of Bortoleto and he did just that, while also keeping Oliver Goethe behind. If he were to win the title, this could prove to have been a big weekend for the Frenchman as he was able to maximise the result even without having the pace.
Highlight: Victory over Bortoleto and Aron at Spa-Francorchamps Feature Race
Paul Aron, Hitech Pulse-Eight
- Points: 163
- Wins: 1
- Podiums: 8
- Poles: 4
Through the first half of the season, arguably no one else on the grid was going as well as Aron was, with the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver achieving a podium in each of the opening seven rounds.
He also took a maiden F2 Pole Position in Barcelona and by the time the second half of the campaign got underway at Silverstone, he had the Championship lead over Hadjar by 11 points.
Since then, he has added three more Pole Positions to his record book in Budapest, Spa and Lusail, but his results have taken a dip. He has scored just 46 points in the last six rounds compared to 117 in the previous seven.
But even while he struggled for results in the second half of the season, his pace has been up there, as it has only been at Silverstone – where he spun out in Qualifying while at the top of the timesheets – and Baku that he has qualified outside of the top two.
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His performance in Qatar was a reminder of that pace, as from the minute he hit the ground running in Lusail, he found himself at the top of the leaderboard.
His form in Qualifying was even more eye-catching, especially in the high-speed final sector which usually shows a driver’s confidence in their car and themselves.
The Feature did not initially go according to plan, losing the lead to Bortoleto at the start but he managed the race expertly, especially when told of his rival’s five-second penalty.
This gave Aron his first F2 victory of the season, but also kept him mathematically in with a chance at winning the title. He may have 25.5-point gap to overturn but he goes to Abu Dhabi a confident driver, who does not have much to lose, knowing that in Formula 2, anything can happen.