In addition to Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula 3 drivers are also present at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. The young talents have not been in action for a while, most recently in Australia. The races in Japan, China and Miami were skipped, but now the youngsters can show their skills again. F1Maximaal.nl will keep you informed in this topic of all updates and results of the entry-level classes in Imola.
F2: Red Bull talent Hadjar repulses Bortoleto’s attack
Isack Hadjar has won the main race in Formula 2 for the second race weekend in a row. The French-Algerian driver made a good start, outpacing pole sitter Gabriel Bortoleto. Ferrari talent Oliver Bearman was also in a promising position, but the Briton had a dramatic pit stop, where one wheel was not mounted properly. The battle for victory then went on between Hadjar and Bortoleto, with the Red Bull talent repelling the attack of reigning Formula 3 champion Bortoleto. Hadjar therefore rises to third place in the championship.
At a considerable distance, Joshua Dürksen caused celebrations in Paraguay with a podium finish, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli drove a solid race and finished fourth. Victor Martins finished ninth after a good race from the back, and Richard Verschoor took the last point. Championship leader Zane Maloney had a difficult time and did not take any points, leaving Paul Aron and Hadjar to within ten points.
F3: Meguetounif takes first ever F3 victory
Trident driver Sami Meguetounif took his first ever win in Formula 3 at Imola on Sunday. The 19-year-old Frenchman started from third place and managed to beat favorite and sprint race winner Oliver Goethe to claim his first victory. Goethe was still in the lead halfway through the race, but was unable to follow up his success in the sprint race with a second victory a day later. With only five laps to go in the race, Meguetounif overtook Goethe and took the lead at the first chicane. The Frenchman subsequently did not hand it over.
The disappointment for Goethe comes a day after a confusing sprint race. Previously, the driver received a five-second time penalty during the sprint race, which caused him to drop to second place in the final standings. However, this was reversed after the sprint race, and Goethe was still allowed to take a seat on the highest step of the podium for the sprint. Now the Danish-German driver still has to settle for P2 in the main race. Dutch driver Laurens van Hoepen fell outside the top ten.
F2: Colapinto takes F2 victory on last lap in race with big start crash
Franco Colapinto has won the Formula 2 sprint race after overtaking Paul Aron on the final lap. Aron, from Estonia, passed Colapinto and Amaury Cordeel at the start, who started from the front row. The race saw major chaos in the midfield with a major crash that took out five drivers, including former Formula 3 champion Dennis Hauger. Red Bull talent Isack Hadjar was also among the victims, while teammate Pepe MartÃ, also a Red Bull junior talent, fell back to the backline and subsequently received a penalty.
After the restart, Cordeel, in second place, made a mistake, allowing Colapinto to take over second place. The Argentinian was then able to follow Aron well, but despite DRS was unable to take the lead for a long time, until he struck with a phenomenal overtaking action on the last lap. Overtaking behind the duo also proved to be difficult. Championship leader Zane Maloney needed most of the race before he could overtake Cordeel to take over the Belgian’s final podium spot.
Oliver Bearman finished fifth, while teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli had a dramatic start and dropped from fourth. The Italian, who is associated with a Formula 1 seat, was unable to fight back to the points after this. Richard Verschoor had to move up a lot at the start and took the last point in eighth place. Another driver who stood out positively was reigning Formula 3 champion Gabriel Bortoleto, who started from pole position in Sunday’s feature race and finished sixth after starting tenth.
F3: León wins sprint race after chaotic last lap, Van Hoepen in top ten
Noel León, driver of Van Amersfoort Racing, has won the sprint race at the Imola circuit, after a chaotic end to the shortened Formula 3 race. The Mexican driver actually crossed the finish line second, but Oliver Goethe, who crossed the finish line first, received a time penalty because the driver overtook León on the last lap during the safety car period. Tim Tramnitz, from MP Motorsport, completed the top three. Polesitter Santiago Ramos did not get further than tenth place, while Dutchman Laurens van Hoepen had to be satisfied with P7.
F2: Bortoleto conquers pole position for Formula 2 main race, Verschoor in top ten
Gabriel Bortoleto has taken pole position for the main race on Sunday in Formula 2. The McLaren talent stayed ahead of Red Bull junior driver Isack Hadjar, and the duo can therefore take a seat on the front row of the grid on Sunday. The surprising number three was Joshua Dürksen from Paraguay, ahead of championship leader Zane Maloney. Richard Verschoor set the ninth fastest time for Trident, which still performed stunts in Formula 3 with the three first starting places. Verschoor thus secured a good starting position for the sprint race on Saturday, and will start one spot behind Red Bull talent Josep MarÃa Martà on Sunday.
F3: 16-year-old Red Bull talent misses out on pole position, Trident takes one-two-three
Santiago Ramos has taken pole position for the Formula 3 main race in Imola. The Mexican Trident driver, who is fifteenth in the championship, surprisingly stayed ahead of teammate Leonardo Fornaroli, who is joint first in the championship. Sami Meguetounif, the third Trident driver, took third place, ahead of Arvid Lindblad. The 16-year-old Red Bull talent makes a big impression and starts the main race in fourth position. Dutchman Laurens van Hoepen set the ninth fastest time, ahead of championship leader Luke Browning.
