Hadjar never gave up throughout the weekend, fighting until the last moment to stay in the race for the FIA Formula 2 championship title. Martí secured his first victory in the category with a flawless performance in Saturday's sprint race. Campos Racing also clinched the team runner-up position
This season in FIA Formula 2, Campos Racing and its drivers, Frenchman Isack Hadjar and Spaniard Pepe Martí, concluded the year at Yas Marina Circuit with the same fighting spirit and determination demonstrated in every race on the calendar. Although the title didn't go Campos Racing's way, the performance of every team member will go down in the history of the Alzira-based structure and, of course, the championship as well.
After 28 races, Hadjar emerged as the driver with the most victories, a total of four, all in Sunday’s feature races, along with four other podium finishes, earning him 192 points and the runner-up position. Despite facing significant adversities, be it mechanical issues like in Jeddah or incidents caused by other rivals, like in Imola or Silverstone, the Red Bull-liveried Frenchman had a sensational year and consistently showed resilience. As for his teammate Martí, in his debut season in this highly challenging category, he tasted victory at the championship's closure, in addition to finishing second once and third on another occasion. Their efforts rewarded the team with the runner-up position in the teams’ standings for Campos Racing with 254 points.
The weekend on Yas Island began on Friday with free practice, where Hadjar set the best time of the session with a fastest lap of 1m37.817s. Martí, clocking 1m38.322s, demonstrated that Campos Racing’s cars would be highly competitive on the Arab asphalt. In the qualifying session at midday, the competition was intense, with the top fifteen drivers lapping within the same second. With the first set of tires, Hadjar and Martí were already among the top six. Ultimately, the Frenchman clocked the fourth-best time with his lap of 1m35.873s, just a tenth off pole position. Meanwhile, Martí secured the sixth spot with a time of 1m36.057s.
On Saturday, the 23-lap sprint race was the first part of the “match set.” Martí, starting fourth on the grid, made one of his best starts and took the lead ahead of Joshua Dürksen. Hadjar, starting sixth, was less fortunate at the start. Boxed in at the first corner, a contact with Kush Maini damaged his front wing, dropping him to eleventh, six places behind his title rival Gabriel Bortoleto. Up front, Martí began to pull away, setting a fast lap pace, which earned him an extra point. By the time Bortoleto moved up to second, Martí had built nearly a four-second lead, which he managed intelligently. Further back, Hadjar gradually climbed the ranks, overtaking Maini, Dürksen, and Amaury Cordeel. At the end of the twenty-three laps, Martí claimed victory with a two-and-a-half-second margin over Bortoleto, who never had a real chance to catch him. Despite initial difficulties and a less-than-optimal aerodynamic performance of his car, Hadjar’s fifth place was a significant achievement.
Everything was to be decided on Sunday in the 33-lap feature race. Hadjar, third on the grid after a penalty to Paul Aron, opted to start on soft tires, while Martí, sixth, chose the harder compound for a longer initial stint. However, when the lights went out, Hadjar’s car stalled, dropping him not only to the back of the field but also two laps down before reaching the Campos Racing pit for the mechanics to restart it. Up front, Martí excelled again, holding third place and leading among those on his strategy despite being on the hard compound. Martí even managed to overtake Dürksen as the soft tires began to fade, taking the lead on lap 7 as his rivals began to pit. Hadjar also pitted on lap 8, fighting against the clock and himself.
Martí led the race for over ten laps, maintaining a strong pace while conserving his tires to delay his pit stop as long as possible. Richard Verschoor, using the DRS, overtook Martí on lap 18, but Martí extended his stint by another eight laps before switching to soft tires. Rejoining the track in tenth, Martí quickly began overtaking rivals like Ritomo Miyata and Oliver Goethe. After passing Dino Beganovic, Martí crossed the finish line in sixth. Hadjar, displaying great race pace, finished nineteenth.
The 2024 season may have just ended, but preparations for 2025 are already underway. Next up are the official post-season tests organized by FIA Formula 2 at the Yas Marina Circuit from Wednesday to Friday.
The championship will kick off Down Under on the weekend of March 15-16 at Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne. The countdown has begun.
Photos: © Dutch Photo Agency
