Bruno Michel’s Debrief: A new Champion at Monza

14 September 2022

Felipe Drugovich had quite the weekend at Monza. While things didn’t go quite according to plan for him on track in the Feature Race, his 2022 season culminated in a well-deserved Championship with a round to spare.

His title triumph wasn’t the only highlight on Italian soil though. There were stand-out performances from several others on the grid, while other familiar names struggled at the Temple of Speed. CEO Bruno Michel gives his view after a momentous weekend.

A WORTHY CHAMPION

Felipe Drugovich became the 2022 FIA Formula 2 Champion with three races to spare. The talented Brazilian’s almost flawless season so far was rewarded with glory in the Sprint Race at Monza, but in the most unusual way. A collision in the opening lap meant that he retired in the pits and had to sit and watch the rest of the race unfold on TV. All eyes were on his closest rival Théo Pourchaire, who had a colossal task at hands to keep his title hopes alive, starting from P14.

Drugovich had to wait until the chequered flag to officially claim the title. His and MP Motorsport’s elation and celebrations were heart-warming. On Monday, it was announced that he joined Aston Martin as their first development driver. Hopefully, it’s a first step towards a drive in Formula 1. I know he is ready for the challenge. Congratulations, Felipe!

DARUVALA AND VESTI STAR AT MONZA

It’s been a frustrating season for Jehan Daruvala, whose ambition was to fight for the title, but last weekend he was back on top form, claiming the Feature Race victory – his first win this season. In the Sprint Race, he also finished third. This means that he has eight rostrum appearances so far in 2022, it’s the same number as Liam Lawson, and one less than Drugovich. He leapt to fifth in the Standings, tied on points with Jack Doohan, and only nine points behind Logan Sargeant in third.

Meanwhile, Frederik Vesti also meant business last weekend in Italy. The Dane took two second places and scored 26 points, after two pointless rounds at Spa and Zandvoort. A lack of consistency has hurt his rookie campaign, but Vesti has demonstrated strong race craft and speed throughout the year – as displayed at Monza.

WOES AT THE FRONT

As I mentioned earlier, there was little hope left for Théo Pourchaire to try and stop Felipe Drugovich from winning the title last weekend. A less than ideal qualifying result put the Frenchman just past the middle of the field. Drugovich was handed a grid penalty, which placed him in front of Pourchaire at the start of the Sprint Race. With the Brazilian out of the race in the early stages, Pourchaire gave his all to make his way closer to the points finish positions, but contact sent him right back at the end of the pack. On Sunday, another collision forced him to retire in the opening laps of the Feature Race. He is still second in the Standings and will have the heart to keep that position when the season ends in Abu Dhabi.

There was more frustration for Ayumu Iwasa and DAMS. The Japanese crashed in Qualifying, giving his team some extra work to rebuild the car ahead of the Sprint Race. He rewarded them with third place on Sunday, but the car was disqualified after it was found that its plank did not comply with the regulations. This unfortunate incident promoted Enzo Fittipaldi to P3, from P15 on the grid. It’s the Brazilian’s sixth podium in 2022. He is still in the run for best rookie of the season.

ONE TITLE TO DECIDE

The final round of the season will be quite intense for the teams. As it stands MP Motorsport and ART Grand Prix are tied on 281 points, but the Dutch squad leads the way on countback. Both outfits are yet to be F2 Champions in this new era. But there are 65 points left on offer, and this also means that Carlin and reigning Champions PREMA Racing are mathematically still in the run for the title, even if the British team is in a better position than the Italian. However, PREMA scored the most points out of the rest of the field on home soil at Monza, with 44.

Meanwhile, Hitech Grand Prix, in fifth, could also finish in the top 3. They took the Sprint Race win in Italy, with Jüri Vips, and they definitely have the cars to upset the current order. Let’s see how everyone regroups during the break to Abu Dhabi, and who will come out on top when the final chequered flag drops at Yas Marina.