In a field of three reigning champions, Thursday’s F2 qualifying session belonged to one of them: Gabriel Bortoleto. His Invicta teammate Kush Maini had stormed to the top of the timesheets, two tenths clear of Bortoleto. However, Maini was later disqualified for an undertray infringement. After the session, Feeder Series caught up with both Bortoleto and Maini alongside selected media at a press conference. 

By Martin Lloyd

While Bortoleto took pole in Melbourne on his way to last year’s F3 title, qualifying was not the foundation of his success. Initially, he was joined on the front row by his teammate Kush Maini. Despite both drivers’ respective strong pedigree, a 1-2 in the first qualifying of the year was a surprise. Did Maini expect such a good result in the first meaningful session of the season?  

“I think we were very confident. We were joking about it [a 1-2] on the trackwalk but it just seemed to click. You have these days in racing where it clicks and this was one of them.” 

Delight replaced by disappointment

Certainly, it looked like everything had slotted into place for Invicta on Thursday before Maini’s disqualification. In practice, Bortoleto finished 12^th with his teammate just ahead in 10^th, before the pair stepped up to a front-row lockout in qualifying. Despite his then-provisional success, Maini did not want to get carried away. 

“This is just the first race, and there’s a long long way to go, so we’re not going to fly away with this result, we’re going to keep our feet on the floor and keep pushing.”

Maini qualified in the top-10 eight times in 2023 and it was no surprise to see his form continue. However, any celebrations were halted when the FIA announced his disqualification. The height of the left undertray front external strake was found to be below the minimum height required by the FIA regulations. As a result, the new Alpine Academy recruit will start both races from the back of the field. 

In fact, this is not the first time that the 23-year-old has tasted disappointment in Bahrain. He qualified third in the 2022 F3 event, only to be disqualified for a weighbridge infringement. In 2024 he suffers the same fate. His teammate benefits and moves into a debut pole position, alongside Campos’ Isack Hadjar on the front row. 

Maini is right, in that the season is lengthy and it is difficult to draw conclusions from a single session. However, Maini has sustained his consistent speed from 2023 and Bortoleto is aware of the Indian’s pace.

“Kush, last year, was very strong in qualifying especially so it was not any news that he would be quick and on pace.” 

Remaining grounded

The Brazilian’s 2023 was also strong. He won the F3 championship at a canter, defeating Zak O’Sullivan by 45 points and he continued this form at Bahrain. To defeat rookies – including two other 2023 title winners – and a strong field of returning drivers is a notable accomplishment. In the midst of these factors, it must not be forgotten that this is Bortoleto’s debut weekend and he is on pole at the first time of asking. Nonetheless, he echoed Maini’s sentiments.  

“I think that we’ll keep our feet on the floor, and work hard to keep these types of results.”

The two Invicta drivers did not want to become too excited after the first day of running. After all, there are 14 rounds to come in this F2 season and only two points are on offer for qualifying in each. Their words appeared even more prescient when Maini was sent to the back of the grid, showing how quickly the high of pole can become the low of last place. 

Despite Maini’s disappointment, Invicta remains on pole with Bortoleto. On Saturday, expectations will be high for the 19-year-old debutant given his qualifying speed and dominant 2023. 

If he converts his feature race pole, that CV will become even more impressive. 

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency