Talking points from Yas Marina

With the dust settled at the end of the 2019 FIA Formula 2 season finale, at Yas Marina, in Abu Dhabi, we take a look at four talking points from the track.

Down to the wire

Holding a 53-point advantage going into the season finale, DAMS were always likely to seal the Teams’ Championship, but few would have suspected them to do it with such swagger and style. Sérgio Sette Câmara controlled both Free Practice and Qualifying for the team, before completing his hat-trick with victory in the Feature Race.

Granted, the Brazilian didn’t make it easy for himself with a poor start, but his recovery drive made it all the more enjoyable.

As Team Principal François Sicard explained in his post-race reaction, winning the title this season, in honour of their late Team Founder Jean-Paul Driot, was hugely emotional. While, Sette Câmara and Nicholas Latifi will both depart at the end of season knowing that they have played a defining role in the illustrious history of the French team.

The battle for second

After Nyck de Vries clinched the Championship crown in Sochi, all eyes were on the battle to be the 2019 Vice-Champion, with any one of Latifi, Luca Ghiotto, Sette Câmara or Jack Aitken able to seal it in Abu Dhabi. After his season-long slog with eventual Champion Nyck de Vries, Latifi was in prime position.

The script was thrown out of the window when his teammate won the Feature Race though, putting the Brazilian within six-points of the Canadian, who had finished the race in seventh. Although, Latifi still retained the upper hand, as he was set to start the Sprint Race from P2 on the reverse grid. Sette Câmara charged through the field from eighth to third, but with Latifi maintaining second position, it wouldn’t be quite enough to steal the title of Vice-Champion from him.

Despite that mega run through the field, the Brazilian was actually dropped to fourth, as Ghiotto won the Sprint Race and moved ahead into third ahead of him.

Struggle to keep up? We did….

Departing drivers

That moves us nicely onto the departing drivers. Nyck de Vries suffered his first pointless weekend of the entire campaign, but having already won the Championship last time out in Sochi, his place in the F2 history books was already well assured.

Sealing second in the Championship, the Teams’ Championship, and a final taste of champagne on the podium. Latifi will be pleased with how his soirée went. The DAMS driver will say goodbye to his team of four years, as he crosses the Road to F1 and joins 2018 F2 Champion George Russell at Williams.

The final of the confirmed departures, Ghiotto, enjoyed the best send-off of the lot. Winning his second successive Sprint Race, the Italian added a fifth to his tally of race victories in the Championship. While he may have finished below De Vries and Latifi in the standings, the UNI-Virtuosi racer can be proud of his time in F2, and a victory is the perfect way to say goodbye.

Gone, but never forgotten

Abu Dhabi closes the curtain on a season of tantalizing highs, and one incredible, heart-wrenching low. From de Vries’ remarkable consistency, to Latifi’s move up into Formula 1, and some incredible races in between, it has been another year of outstanding wheel-to-wheel action in one of the most competitive single-seater championships on the planet.

However, 2019 will always be remembered as the year that we suffered the immense loss of Anthoine Hubert.

The loveable Frenchman was a passionate driver, whose infectious smile, and unwavering dedication to his craft was revered by the entire paddock, and is greatly missed. The grid have raced on in his honour ever since and he has never left our hearts.

In 2020, we will continue Racing for Anthoine.