Monaco 2024: Formula 2 Qualifying
Formula 2
Qualifying in Monaco is different from the regular format. In Monaco, the qualifying session is separated into two groups: A group and B group. This is because in 2011, during qualifying, many mistakes were made, which made all the drivers stack up at the last lap, meaning almost no one received a representative lap. To help prevent too many drivers from being on the tight streets of Monaco, we now have the two-group format. The groups are decided by driver number. A group is even numbers, and B group is odd numbers. Once the two groups have gone, the person with the fastest lap time of the two groups gets pole position. It’s the same process for second place, and so on and so forth.
A Group:
(2) Zak O’Sullivan
(4) Andrea “Kimi” Antonelli
(6) Ritomo Miyata
(8) Juan Manuel Correa
(10) Gabriel Bortoleto
(12) Franco Colapinto
(14) Enzo Fittipaldi
(16) Amuary Cordeel
(20) Isack Hadjar
(22) Richard Verschoor
(24) Joshua Durksen
B Group:
(1) Victor Martins
(3) Oliver “Ollie” Bearman
(5) Zane Maloney
(7) Jak Crawford
(9) Kush Maini
(11) Dennis Hauger
(15) Rafael Villagomez
(17) Paul Aron
(21) Juan “Pepe'“ Marti
(23) Roman Stanek
(25) Taylor Barnard
A group session:
Zak O’Sullivan led the session, followed by Isack Hadjar. Hadjar was flying through the circuit, hoping to improve his time and beat O’Sullivan’s time. Unfortunately, Ritomo Miyata crawled to a stop on a blind corner, on the race line, in the tunnel. At the same time, Hadjar flew into the tunnel and almost kissed the rear end of Ritomo’s vehicle. Fortunately for both drivers, Hadjar quickly reacted and narrowly missed Ritomo Miyata. If Hadjar’s reaction time was only tenths of a second slower, a violent accident might have occurred.
Another small incident occurred when Juan Manuel Correa impeded Kimi Antonelli. Race control noted the incident and investigated it after the session. It was determined that Correa did, in fact, impede Kimi, and he was handed a 3-place grid penalty to be served at the next race he performs at.
The fight for the top row was monstrous between Richard Verschoor, Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Zak O’Sullivan. However, it was over once Richard Verschoor piloted a lap that earned him the fastest lap time of the A group. None of the other racers were able to surpass his lap time.
Group A results:
Richard Verschoor = 1:21.283
Isack Hadjar = 1:21.440
Franco Colapinto = 1:21.655
Kimi Antonelli = 1:21.669
Gabriel Bortoleto = 1:21.670
Group B
The B group got off to a slower start as the racers built their tire temperature and confidence around the track. However, that effort would be thwarted when Rafael Villagomez found a wall. Much to many people’s relief, the hit into the barrier was not that hard, but it did leave debris over the track, leading to a red flag. The red flag sent everyone back into the pits, which meant their tires began to cool down.
Luckily, the red flag did not last long, and the racers got back onto the circuit quickly and saved their tire temperatures. Victor Martins saw his chance to get pole position and flung himself around the track. He earned the fastest lap time of his group, but it didn’t beat Richard Verschoor’s time in group A. The next to try his hand was Roman Stanek, who got unbelievably close to Vershoor’s time but, again, could not go faster than Verschoor. Stanek was noted by race control for impeding Dennis Hauger on his flying lap. Oliver Bearman was also noted for impeding Pepe Marti, as was Kush Maini for impeding Zane Maloney. The investigations resulted in Oliver Bearman and Kush Maini receiving a 3-place grid placement to be served in the next race performed. Roman Stanek was found not to be impeding Dennis Hauger.
Group B results:
Victor Martins = 1:21.310
Paul Aron = 1:21.347
Roman Stanek = 1:21.466
Dennis Hauger = 1:21.659
Taylor Barnard 1:21.831
Richard Verschoor sits in pole position for the first time in his career.
Sources;
https://www.automundo.com.br/magazine2/en/168858