The past weekend we travelled to Albert Park Circuit for the third round of the Formula 2 season. After a great weekend in Jeddah, Dennis was eager to continue his great form and Franco was looking for more points to rise in the standings.
This was shown during the practice session on Thursday, where the Norwegian set the fastest time of the whole grid. He continued along this line during qualifying and got his first pole position ever in F2! Franco was still finding his ground on Australian soil and qualified at P13. Overall, there was excitement about what this weekend was going to bring.
The reverse grid for the Sprint Race on Saturday meant a P10 for Dennis and a P13 for Franco. Due to chaos in the first lap and a crash in the tenth lap involving a total of five drivers, both MP drivers managed to gain numerous positions. After lap 11, Dennis was in fourth and Franco was right behind him at P5. In the penultimate lap, Dennis overtook Maini for the third position which meant a third podium in three races. Due to post-race penalties both our F2 drivers were promoted; P2 for Dennis and a season-best P4 for Franco!
The Feature Race on Sunday concluded the weekend for Formula 2 in Australia. Dennis was off to a great start after recovering P1 in the second lap, but due to cold tyres after a pit stop, he lost the car and hit the barrier in turn 6. Franco had a great race and managed to get P7. But he was disqualified after the race for not engaging in the correct start procedure. The weekend fizzled out disappointingly. A tough pill to swallow, but we live and we learn. Next up is second 2024 testing in Barcelona by the end of April. Afterwards we be in the legendary Imola for following round of racing, on the 17th of May.
Standings after the third round of racing:
P3 Dennis – 41 points
P13 Franco – 13 points
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