Russell secures F2 title in Abu Dhabi
Russell secures F2 title in Abu Dhabi
Mercedes junior driver George Russell will head to Formula 1 in 2019 as Formula 2 champion, having done enough to secure the crown in a thrilling Abu Dhabi feature race. Williams-bound Russell won the race from pole position, but title rival Alexander Albon was way down in 14th after featuring in early race mayhem.
DAMS driver Albon and teammate Nicholas Latifi stalled on the line – the latter coming off much worse as Arjun Maini ploughed into the bac of him, wiping both out of the race.
The chaos helped Albon remain in the race as he was just half a lap down at the safety car restart.
However, Albon - who has been linked with Toro Rosso's remaining 2019 drive - had to win to stand any chance of keeping the title fight alive, but he could not score a point.
Congratulations @GeorgeRussell63! ????
The 2018 @FIA_F2 Champion and he’s done it in style ???? #AbuDhabiGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/j1TU4ku9Wa — WILLIAMS RACING (@WilliamsRacing) November 24, 2018
Russell was pipped off the line by McLaren junior Nyck de Vries, but got the better of the Dutchman in the pitstop phase, pulling off the undercut to just edge his rival.
From there, Russell controlled the race superbly and held off a late charge from F2 veteran Artem Markelov, the Russian looking to cap his final outing at this level with a typically barnstorming run.
The 2019 Williams driver secured his seventh win of the season, equalling the record of Charles Leclerc and Stoffel Vandoorne at this level.
Russell will start Sunday's sprint race from eighth as he looks to take the record for himself, as the top eight of F2 races mirror on the grid in the second race.
Another 2019 F1 driver, Lando Norris, came home fifth, having seen his title challenge fizzle out in the latter half of the season after leading through the early going.
MORE: Hamilton leads Mercedes one-two with record Abu Dhabi lap
VIDEO: F2 race starts with TERRIFYING crash!
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 News Today: McLaren boss keen for stunning REUNION as Horner BLAMED for Newey nightmare
- 20 minutes ago
F1 Miami Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today
- 1 hour ago
F1 rival makes stunning Hamilton 'best' claim despite poor form
- 2 hours ago
F1 star emerges as SHOCK target for Audi
- 3 hours ago
Hamilton F1 rival makes astonishing admission with Verstappen claim
- Today 11:57
McLaren boss keen for stunning Alonso REUNION
- Today 10:57
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860