F2/F3 Power Rankings - McLaren's champion driver claims first 2024 win

Gabriel Bortoleto celebrates winning the race with the Brazilian flag in the background — Photo: © IMAGO

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F2/F3 Power Rankings - McLaren's champion driver claims first 2024 win

The support series' second act of the triple-header delivered the same overtaking thrills as F1

Jim Kimberley

Tuesday 2 July 2024 13:57

The Spielberg Turn 3 overtaking wasn't confined to Formula 1 over the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.

F2 and F3 are supporting F1 for all three races of this European triple-header, and both had remarkable rounds.

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With a new winner in F2 and a return to the top spot in F3, there's plenty to talk about from the Red Bull Ring.

Here are the six drivers who brought their A-game to Austria this year.

Formula 2

Gabriel Bortoleto - A-

Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto didn't win the Austrian round in his F3 title-winning campaign last year. However, it was the race where he impressed me the most after his intelligent driving.

There were no such problems in reaching the top step in 2024 for the McLaren junior, who took full advantage of pole-sitting Dennis Hauger's formation lap stall to win the feature race with relative ease.

He looked equally as quick in Saturday's sprint race, taking the fight to those in front, including Invicta team-mate Kush Maini, who should be the team leader with his experience but is falling well behind Bortoleto.

Paul Aron - B

It wasn't the best weekend for championship leader Paul Aron, but only when measured by his incredibly high level in 2024.

He still got to the podium in the sprint race, meaning he hasn't had a race weekend this year without a podium – it's easy to forget he's a Formula 2 rookie.

I fancied him to do the double and get a second top-three finish (before his post-race penalty) when chasing down the squabbling Campos pair in the feature race.

The alternative strategy of a certain Argentinian soon ended those thoughts. Speaking of which...

Franco Colapinto will compete at Silverstone

Franco Colapinto - B-

MP Motorsport had one of their strongest F2 weekends in Austria, and they'll wonder what might've been had Hauger not stalled from pole on Sunday.

Nonetheless, Franco Colapinto was there to pick up the mantle, and he executed an incredibly long stint on the soft tyres without a problem to maximise his supersoft-equipped finish.

The overtakes came thick and fast, and his move on Pepe Martí showed his growing confidence in F2 machinery, even after his sprint race spin when defending from Hauger at Turn 3.

Formula 3

Luke Browning - A

You can argue that Luke Browning is having an under-the-radar season in Formula 3, with almost all his points coming in feature races and never fighting for sprint race podiums.

Yet Browning is the championship leader, and he's picking up sizeable points from his Sunday drives, which is where it truly counts for a title campaign.

He was unflustered in his lights-to-flag feature race victory in a drive that required him to fend off all three PREMA drivers, and he's now the only driver with two 2024 F3 feature race triumphs.

Christian Mansell - B

The Australian driver is superbly growing into the team leader role at ART, and that second-year experience is starting to shine through.

He's avoiding incidents that could end his race, and the 78-point tally has him in reach of a championship push for himself and possibly even his team.

Mansell's sprint race podium was close to being followed up with another trophy on Sunday, and that breathless last lap fight for P2 could've gone his way on another day.

Gabriele Minì - B

Italian racer Gabriele Minì needed to bounce back after a disastrous Barcelona round, and he did just that in Austria.

With his overtake and subsequent defence on team-mate Dino Beganovic in the feature race, Minì showed he has the awareness and speed to push for the title.

I've no idea who might be the champion at the end of this season, but Minì has grabbed P2 in the standings ahead of compatriot Fornaroli and must be one of the favourites.