Formula 2: The standings tighten after Baku and Hadjar loses the lead

The 2024 Formula 2 season continues to captivate motorsport enthusiasts with a fierce competition among young talents. With only two Grand Prix races left (Qatar and Abu Dhabi), the battle for the title is tighter than ever. Following an eventful Azerbaijan Grand Prix marked by red flags, crashes, and unexpected turnarounds, Isack Hadjar is no longer leading the championship.

The plummet for Hadjar

French seems definitely cursed. Since his victory in the long race at the Belgian Grand Prix, he hasn’t scored any points, chaining bad results.

In Italy, he qualifies in second position, but loses three places at the start of the sprint race. He will not be able to catch up and will finish outside the points. During the long race, a disastrous pit stop once again costs him a points finish.

In Baku, brake overheating issues during qualifying lead to an early end of his session. He later receives a penalty for causing a red flag, pushing him to 20th position for the sprint race and 17th position for the feature race. Once again, the Frenchman fails to make up ground and finishes outside the points.

A series of bad luck that sees Hadjar lose the championship lead to Gabriel Bortoleto, even though he had a 36-point advantage over the Brazilian driver.

Gabriel Bortoleto is continuing to achieve good results.

Unlike the French driver, Bortoleto is chaining good performances. He is accumulating points in each race and even won the long race in Italy. Tipped for a seat in Formula 1 with Sauber, the Brazilian is getting closer to the F2 title as the two last race weekends approach. However, he should not relax, as with only a 4.5-point lead over Hadjar, nothing is decided yet.

Victor Martins’ comeback.

Victor Martins is going through a difficult season, marked by five retirements and many races without points. Although the driver, initially considered a title contender, admits that this year is disappointing, he remains determined. He has shown his resilience with a series of very good results.

After finishing second in the sprint race and sixth in the long race at the Italian Grand Prix, then fourth in the sprint race and second in the long race in Baku, the Frenchman makes a nice comeback in the standings. He finally enters the Top 10 and now ranks eighth in the championship.

If he maintains his current momentum, Martins could continue to climb in the standings by the end of the season.

Drivers’ standings after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Team ranking after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix