Paul Aron Claims First Formula 2 Victory In Action-Packed Lusail Affair

Paul Aron of Hitech Pulse-Eight emerged victorious in a dramatic Lusail Feature Race. Although Gabriel Bortoleto crossed the line first, a five-second penalty dropped him to third, handing Aron his first Formula 2 win. Aron stayed composed after losing the lead at the start and managed to stay close to Bortoleto throughout the race to secure victory.

Bortoleto’s penalty also allowed Isack Hadjar to move from third to second, reducing the championship gap to just 0.5 points heading into Yas Marina.

As It Happened

• Gabriel Bortoleto had a strong start, overtaking pole-sitter Paul Aron at the line. Dino Beganovic secured third after a Turn 1 battle with Victor Martins.
• On Lap 4, Kush Maini dropped from P7 to P11 in a series of moves initiated by Oliver Bearman overtaking him at Turn 1.
• Bearman’s move was followed by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Oliver Goethe, and Isack Hadjar also passing Maini.
• By Lap 6, Bortoleto and Aron had built a 3-second lead over Beganovic, who struggled on Medium tires.
• Jak Crawford was the first to pit among the Option tire runners, followed by Beganovic, Aron, Martins, Richard Verschoor, and Antonelli a lap later.
• A collision in the pit lane between Antonelli and Verschoor brought out a Virtual Safety Car. Antonelli retired with steering issues, and Verschoor received a 10-second penalty for an unsafe release.
• Timing was crucial as Bortoleto aborted a pit stop during the VSC, crossing the pit entry line back onto the circuit. This later resulted in a five-second penalty for not following Race Director instructions.
• The Safety Car allowed Bortoleto to pit and retain the lead, but the penalty dropped him to seventh on the road. Hadjar, pitting under the Safety Car, rejoined close to his title rivals in P9.
• Racing resumed on Lap 13, with Oliver Bearman leading, followed by Joshua Duerksen and Maini. However, another Safety Car was deployed after a collision between Crawford and Rafael Villagómez at Turn 6.
• On Lap 17, Bearman ran wide at the final corner, briefly losing the lead to Duerksen, who was forced to return the position due to a track limits violation.
• Bortoleto, Aron, and Hadjar worked their way through the field, moving up to P5, P6, and P7 respectively.
• With less than 13 minutes remaining, Bearman and Duerksen pitted, giving Bortoleto the lead. Aron and Hadjar followed closely.
• Despite pushing hard, Bortoleto couldn’t build enough of a gap, allowing Aron to claim victory, Hadjar to take second, and Bortoleto to settle for third.

Key Quote – Paul Aron, Hitech Pulse-Eight

“Finally, a first win in Formula 2. I don’t need to say it, but it’s been a long time coming, and I am very, very happy to finally get it. There was some extra pressure because we’ve been in this position already three times, on pole from Friday and not getting the win on Sunday, so I am very, very happy to finally get it. At the same time, I want to congratulate Gabriel. He did a good race; on track, he won it, definitely well done to him. Lastly, a big thank you to Hitech. I think I could not thank them enough on Friday. The car has been very good from the beginning of the weekend, and I am very happy to finally leave Sunday with a smile on my face.”

The Championship Standings

• Gabriel Bortoleto leads with 188.5 points, but Isack Hadjar is just 0.5 points behind.
• Paul Aron sits third with 163 points, Zane Maloney is fourth with 140, and Jak Crawford is fifth with 124.
• In the Teams’ Standings, Invicta Racing leads with 262.5 points, followed by Campos Racing (231), MP Motorsport (200), Hitech Pulse-Eight (198), and PREMA Racing (179).

2024 FIA Formula 2 Championship – Round 13 Feature Race Provisional Classification

• Paul Aron (EST), Hitech Pulse-Eight
• Isack Hadjar (FRA), Campos Racing
• Gabriel Bortoleto (BRA), Invicta Racing
• Oliver Goethe (DEU), MP Motorsport
• Dino Beganovic (SWE), DAMS Lucas Oil
• Christian Mansell (AUS), Trident
• Amaury Cordeel (BEL), Hitech Pulse-Eight
• John Bennett (GBR), Van Amersfoort Racing
• Zane Maloney (BRB), Rodin Motorsport
• Ritomo Miyata (JPN), Rodin Motorsport
• Cian Shields (GBR), AIX Racing
• Oliver Bearman (GBR), PREMA Racing
• Richard Verschoor (NLD), MP Motorsport
• Joshua Durksen (PRY), AIX Racing
• Kush Maini (IND), Invicta Racing
• Luke Browning (GBR), ART Grand Prix
• Josep María Martí (ESP), Campos Racing
• Max Esterson (USA), Trident

DNFs

• Andrea Kimi Antonelli (ITA), PREMA Racing
• Victor Martins (FRA), ART Grand Prix
• Rafael Villagómez (MEX), Van Amersfoort Racing
• Jak Crawford (USA), DAMS Lucas Oil

Overall Fastest Lap

• Oliver Bearman (GBR), PREMA Racing: 1:37.997 (Lap 30)

Fastest Lap Eligible for Points:

• Paul Aron (EST), Hitech Pulse-Eight: 1:38.412 (Lap 27)