2024 [F2/F3/Super Formula etc] Junior Formula Series discussion

[MonteCristo]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Bort is so good.

Last to first in the Monza feature race.

Won F3 in his first season. Running second in F2 in his first season.

Where's the Bortoleto to F1 talk, amid Antonelli being 7th in the standings and Bearman being 14th in the standings?

[Everso Biggyballies]

Bort is so good.

Last to first in the Monza feature race.

Won F3 in his first season. Running second in F2 in his first season.

Where's the Bortoleto to F1 talk, amid Antonelli being 7th in the standings and Bearman being 14th in the standings?

Nando is on to it..... (Nando owns Bort's management company). AFAIK Bort is / was a McLaren Junior. It seems Fernando is trying to get him on the books at Audi I guess as a test / reserve driver.
This article just a few days old....

Fernando Alonso signed a multi-year extension with Aston Martin several months ago. However, the Spaniard is still actively involved in F1 contract negotiations. The Double World Champion is working to get Gabriel Bortoleto on the grid next season. Bortoleto is part of Alonso’s A14 Management Agency, with the 43-year-old actively overseeing the youngster’s career.

Bortoleto is ready for F1, says Fernando Alonso

With over half of the Formula 2 season completed, Gabriel Bortoleto is second in the standings. Should he keep this position, Bortoleto would become the highest-finishing rookie in the series since Oscar Piastri.

For all the media focus on Kimi Antonelli, it goes without saying the Brazilian driver is putting together a brilliant season.

There is still a lot of uncertainty about who is leading the race to earn Audi’s next contract. Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley, both appointed to senior decision-making roles, have only just arrived.

It will take some time before their driver priorities are decided. However, Fernando Alonso has no doubts about Gabriel Bortoleto’s calibre:

“Gabriel has an extraordinary talent and is ready for big challenges, and Formula 1 is certainly the next step for Gabriel,” he told motorsport.com.

“[Bortoleto] is doing very well in Formula 2, but it is necessary to have the right moment to reach Formula 1.

“You can’t arrive too early, nor too late. You have to arrive at the right time.

“And arriving at the right time will be the biggest challenge Gabriel will have. But of course, there are possibilities.

“He is a driver that the teams are very attentive to. The drivers respect him. The teams also respect him and ask about him.

“And not just Audi, so I hope we find some option.”

Of course, other drivers are being considered for the remaining Sauber seat. Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu and Robert Shwartzman are understood to be on the team’s shortlist.

This means that Alonso and Bortoleto won’t have an easy time in contract negotiations.

With that said, momentum is clearly on Bortoleto’s side. The McLaren junior is an immensely impressive talent – capable of contributing to the Audi project from a competitive and commercial perspective.

. https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsport ... -f1-talks/

[Vassago]

AI car crashed at Suzuka while demo racing Daniil Kvyat before the Super Formula finale

[Everso Biggyballies]

Tesla Auto pilot eat your heart out.

And they expect us to welcome self driving car technology on the public roads.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Talking about F2 a bit of news.....

Verschoor replaces Hauger at MP Motorsport for rest of F2 season; stays for 2025

The switch, effective immediately, sees Verschoor keep his place on the F2 grid for another season. (Ive lost count of how many yearss he has been in F2.

Richard Verschoor will replace Dennis Hauger at MP Motorsport for the final two rounds of the current F2 season )Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Richard will remain with the team in the championship next year as well, despite having several options outside the category, including in IndyCar and Japanese Super Formula.

Hauger was on his way anyway, and will compete in Indy NXT next season.
On his ambitions elsewhere, Verschoor explained:

"I did talk to some teams for 2025 already and thought about doing an IndyCar test, but then this opportunity came along.

"IndyCar is definitely something I would like for the long-term future, although maybe it came a little bit too early now.

"Formula 2 is very attractive to all my sponsors as well, also because they can come along to the races and experience a Formula 1 weekend at the same time. And personally, I would love to try and fight for the title one more season."

[Everso Biggyballies]

As Super Foemula Japan is in this thread as well......

Super Formula at Suzuka

Tsuboi crowned champion, Ota wins finale
Tsuboi adds a Super Formula title to his two championship successes in SUPER GT

After finishing second in Saturday’s opener and picking up another bonus point in qualifying on Sunday morning, TOM’S driver Tsuboi went into the final race needing only a single point to put the championship out of reach of his sole remaining rival Tadasuke Makino.

In the second race, after the pitstops, Tsuboi was right on Ota’s tail by the time the leader was halfway around his outlap, after having pitted one lap later, but Ota hung on to the lead before pulling away once more.

Ota went on to score his third career win and his second of the weekend by a margin of 5.4 seconds, helping Dandelion cement the teams’ title ahead of Team Mugen.

Tsuboi meanwhile became the fifth different driver for TOM’S to win the Super Formula title, joining Kazuki Nakajima, Andre Lotterer, Nick Cassidy and last year’s champion Ritomo Miyata

Tsuboi also now heads into next month’s SUPER GT finale at Suzuka with a chance of becoming only the sixth driver in history to win both of Japan’s top two championships in the same year..

[erwin greven]

[Everso Biggyballies]

Just a bit of a reminder for those that follow the feeder series, particularly F2.....

This weekend sees the finale of the 2024 F2 Championship, which this year is hugely close, with, as they go into the. weekend, just half a point splitting the two leaders.

Bortoletti, who has made a name for himself by already having an F1 race seat confirmed, alongside the Hulk at Sauber Audi has had a great second half after a scratchy start. Hadjar, in 2nd has too many zero point weekends and races offsetting his better individual results. He should have had it tied up if it was down to taken opportunities. 12 zero scores in 26 races to date is not good. Bortoleto has just 6 no score races for the year.

There is a third player in with a mathematical chance, Paul Aron, currently 3rd and 25 points off the leading two.
37 points are on the table, 25 for the feature race, 10 for the Sprint on Saturday, plus an F/L bonus point for each.

Anyway Bortoleto leads by half a point from Isaak Hadjar, the Red Bull Junior protege whose name has been mentioned as a potential part of the Sergio out of Red Bull scenario. Not so much in terms of being in the hunt for the gig as Max's team mate, but certainly as a replacement for Lawson alongside Yuki T at VCARB, should Liam get the call up to be Max's team mate.

The constructors / Team championship is also still yet to be finalised, and although not so close with two cars it is possible for a team to rack up 65 points..... with that in mind any of the top 3 teams can (mathematically take the title.

Here is a bit of info on the F2 weekend that might help follow the outcome.

[Vassago]

Bortoleto had 4.5 pts lead before the last race and Hadjar stalled at the start of the Yas Marina feature race

[MonteCristo]

We're going to need to order even more Bort license plates.

[Michael Ferner]

The "Constructors title"? I thought this was a control chassis formula, is it not?

[Everso Biggyballies]

The "Constructors title"? I thought this was a control chassis formula, is it not?

Yeah I did write constructors / Team championship, but in reality it is more an out and out Team Championship and yes its a spec car assembled rather than manufactured by the teams.

[Michael Ferner]

Yeah, but the FIA itself uses the words, "Constructors title" (see Fast FActs bullet point 3)!!

[Everso Biggyballies]

The "Constructors title"? I thought this was a control chassis formula, is it not?

Yeah I did write constructors / Team championship, but in reality it is more an out and out Team Championship and yes its a spec car assembled rather than manufactured by the teams.

Hehehe Blame it on MBS. Not only did he fire the F2 race director, oh wait no he fored the F1 race director them promoted the F2 guy to F1, and when the lady charged with looking after F2decided she had had enough The F2 guy promoted to do the F1 job got lumbered with F1,2,3 and no doubt in the mix the guy who writes all the press info probably had a nervous breakdown..