F2: Key Takeaways from Monaco

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By Thiemo Albers-Daly

May 25, 2021

Formula 2 returned this weekend for its second round of the 2021 season. After a great opening round in Bahrain, it was Monaco’s turn to host the feeder formula. Not normally a track where overtaking is a common sight, Monaco was still able to deliver plenty of action and heartbreak over the course of the weekend. Here are the key takeaways from Monaco…

Brilliant Boschung

A driver we weren’t sure was even going to be on the Formula 2 grid this year, despite his return last year, showed why Formula 2 needs him this weekend. The Campos driver delivered in all three races, giving his strongest performance to date. Battling Nissany for third place in Sprint Race 1 left him in fourth – his best result to date.

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This was followed by a fifth-place finish in Sprint Race 2, and a solid sixth place in the Feature Race. Monaco is a track where your worst opponent can be yourself. So far Boschung to not let the pressure get to him and to deliver like this was awesome to see. I hope we get to see more like this from him soon.

Piastri Keeps the Pressure On

Formula 3 Champion and Formula 2 Rookie Oscar Piastri showed once again that he means business this weekend. With two second places and an eighth under his belt this weekend, he is only 16 points behind Zhou who leads the championship.

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For Piastri to be able to do this against a more experienced driver and ahead of others with more experience is fantastic to see. It would seem that Mark Webber might have been teaching his protégé a few tricks. Whilst it’s still early days, it would seem that Piastri will be Zhou’s main rival for the title this year.

Pourchaire Makes History

In Saturday’s Feature Race, Theo Pourchaire made history by becoming the youngest driver in Formula 2 history to win a Feature Race. And what a place to do it at too. Monaco is just around half an hour from where he grew up, having been first taken there by his father when he was three years old.

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This new record comes off the back of becoming the youngest pole-sitter in Formula 2 history which he achieved earlier in the race weekend. Whilst it’s still too early to tell if he’ll be able to make a bid for the championship, he’ll be sure to keep ruffling feathers with performances like this for the rest of the year.

Zhou the Contender

Guanyu Zhou had a mixed weekend. He won Sprint Race 1 but then finished down in 15th for Sprint Race 2. A fifth-place finish in the Feature Race made up for things, though. But with some bad luck for one of his nearest rivals (see below), Zhou is edging out a nice lead in the championship, currently 16 points ahead of Piastri in second.

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Whilst the 15th place would have hurt, he still managed to convert reverse pole into a win and get some nice points out of the weekend. Winning a championship is about building strong consistent results all season long. So far, that’s exactly what’s Zhou’s doing.

Anything else?

Roy Nissany got a podium, Dan Ticktum inherited a win and Marcus Armstrong made a stellar overtake on the final lap of Sprint Race 1. But the last main takeaway is the heartbreak that was in store for Liam Lawson this weekend. After leading Sprint Race 2 from start to finish and winning the race, Lawson was later disqualified. Why? For having the wrong throttle map at the very start of the race.

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This seems like quite a bit of overkill penalty wise and has sparked controversy among all Formula 2 fans. With the stewards making some other questionable decisions over the weekend, like allowing Alessio Deledda to race, for example (debate with me why they should/shouldn’t have in the comments below), it must have been a very bitter pill for Lawson to swallow.

That’s all for Monaco. Formula 2 returns in just two weeks time when they go racing around the streets of Baku.

Featured Image: Formula Motorsport Limited

TAGS : Alessio Deledda, Bahrain, Baku, Campos Racing, Dan Ticktum, Guanyu Zhou, Liam Lawson, Marcus Armstrong, Monaco, Oscar Piastri, Ralph Boschung, Roy Nissany, Theo Pourchaire

WRITTEN BY

Thiemo Albers-Daly

I'm a compelling pundit on GP Grandstand's weekly podcasts and also write opinion, preview and review columns on the site too for Formula 1, F2, F3 and W Series.

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