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WHAT WE LEARNED: A few storylines we witnessed at Round 7 in Spielberg

3 July 2024

Spielberg produced another captivating weekend in this exciting 2024 Formula 2 season as we got two action-packed races ending with two drivers achieving their first wins of the year.

But there were also a number of storylines that caught our attention and before we turn our attention to Silverstone, let us look back on some of those narratives from Round 7.

BORTOLETO AND INVICTA ANNOUNCE THEIR ARRIVAL

Gabriel Bortoleto and his Invicta Racing team had made such a good start to 2024 that despite not having won a race, it had felt like only a matter of time before we saw them take to the top step.

After near misses in the Imola Feature Race and the Monte Carlo Sprint, Bortoleto finally got that first victory in the Spielberg Feature with an incredibly mature performance.

RACE ANALYSIS: How Colapinto put himself in podium contention with ‘risky’ first stint

With two Pole Positions so far this year – the most on the grid alongside Dennis Hauger – the Brazilian has shown great pace but to finally convert that into a win will mean a lot to him.

On top of that, he moves from sixth to third in the Drivers’ Championship and on 85 points, he trails Championship leader Paul Aron by 32. It also means Invicta are tied for third in the Teams’ Standings on 137 points, just six off leaders Campos Racing.

As we enter the second half of the season this week at Silverstone, that victory could be the launchpad they were looking for to launch their bid for both titles.

Bortoleto achieved his first Formula 2 victory in Spielberg

PREMA FINALLY GET ON THE PODIUM

That sentiment could also be true for PREMA Racing as with Oliver Bearman in the Sprint Race, they scored their first victory, and podium, of the year.

It was the Italian team’s first venture on to the rostrum since Frederik Vesti’s finished third at the Yas Marina Feature Race in 2023 and after a tough start to the year, it is exactly what they needed.

They still had their difficulties as Bearman retired with an issue in the Feature and Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished outside of the points in both races.

But, getting that first win will definitely give them a much-needed boost in confidence and with the second half of the season about to start, we could see a revitalised PREMA over the next few weeks.

Bearman sealed his and PREMA Racing's first victory of the season in the Spielberg Sprint

AIX FINDING THEIR GROOVE

It was a difficult start to the season for AIX Racing as they went without scoring a point in the opening three rounds of the year in Sakhir, Jeddah, and Melbourne.

But since the in-season test in Barcelona in April, they have unlocked a heap of performance and that showed with Joshua Duerksen’s podium in the Imola Feature and Taylor Barnard’s Monte Carlo Sprint Race victory.

However, in Spielberg they achieved a double points return for the first time in their history, as Duerksen and Barnard finished in P6 and P8 respectively in the Feature.

What was just as impressive was their Qualifying performance as Duerksen went within 0.008s off taking pole from Dennis Hauger while Barnard was just three-tenths off the top spot in sixth.

Duerksen admitted that they still have a bit of performance to find over a race distance especially in tyre management, but the two drivers and the team are showing that they can mix it at the front of the field and that is a sign of the phenomenal progress.

Aron currently leads the Drivers' Championship and already has seven podiums to his name

ARON’S BRILLIANT CONSISTENCY

After a terrific start to the season, Spielberg was yet another weekend where Championship leader Paul Aron was at his consistent best.

Prior to our visit to the Red Bull Ring, he had achieved six podiums in the opening six rounds and had finished in the points in seven consecutive races.

Well, the Estonian driver added to both of those records in Austria, finishing third in the Sprint Race before ending up fourth in the Feature.

In a year where consistency has been hard to find as the teams and drivers get to grips with the new Formula 2 car, Aron and his Hitech Pulse-Eight team have been a picture of it, and it sees him lead the Championship on 117 points – 11 clear of his nearest rival Isack Hadjar.

Aron has continued to point out though that it is a long season and there are still seven rounds to go but his performances so far deserve to be praised and as we enter the second half of the year, he is the one they all have to catch.