Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto have both enjoyed strong starts to their Formula 2 careers, with both winning a race in their rookie seasons. Before the racing began in Hungary, Feeder Series caught up with both drivers alongside selected media at a press conference.

By Martin Lloyd

After eight rounds, Bortoleto sits fourth in the drivers’ standings, just 35 points behind championship leader Isack Hadjar. The Invicta driver has regularly impressed, finishing in the points in 12 out of 16 races so far in 2024. Having scored points in the last ten races, the Brazilian feels he can continue his good form at the Hungaroring, especially after a solid triple-header, which included a maiden win secured in the Spielberg feature race.

“Austria was very special for me,” said Bortoleto. “It was my best result of the season, winning. Since FP I was very confident, and also in quali. I’m just very happy with the weekend overall and also the triple-header. We’ve scored points in all the races from the triple-header.

“I think we managed to bring home important points for the championship and also good learning for the car and the tyres in these races, so I’m very confident for the rest of the season.”

Bortoleto is clearly aware of the significance of his strong triple-header. After a difficult start to the season, the reigning Formula 3 champion has placed himself firmly in the F2 title conversation. Further strong showings in the upcoming double-header will only reinforce the 19-year-old’s strong position.

Six points behind Bortoleto is fellow South American driver Franco Colapinto, who also enjoyed the result in Austria. The Williams junior driver quietly picked up strong points in the recent triple-header. With four top-five finishes, including podiums in Spielberg and Barcelona, Colapinto has risen to fifth in the championship. The Argentinian driver feels he can continue his impressive performances in Budapest.  

“I’m happy with the triple-header,” he said. “It was a step forward in the right direction. We had a really good test in Barcelona and after that, we took a big step forward.

“We also scored points in almost every race, and I had very strong weekends, very strong qualifyings and very consistent results, which is what we were looking for. I’m confident that we can keep this up.”

On the eve of the championship’s ninth round, Isack Hadjar leads the title race following his feature race win at Silverstone. The Frenchman lies 16 points ahead of Hitech’s Paul Aron, with Zane Maloney a further 16 points back in third, ahead of Bortoleto and Colapinto.

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency