F2 and F3 Power Rankings - Red Bull lose out to McLaren twice in disaster Baku weekend

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Power Rankings - Red Bull lose out to McLaren twice in disaster Baku weekend

A change at the top of the championship sees Red Bull's future hope drop from the championship lead

Jim Kimberley

Monday 16 September 2024 15:57

Red Bull Racing's pain in Baku wasn't limited to F1's dramatic Azerbaijan GP where McLaren took the lead of the World Constructors' Championship.

The papaya colours took to the top of the Drivers' standings too as one of the reigning champion's prospects suffered a weekend to forget.

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Brazil's McLaren junior, Gabriel Bortoleto, is now the driver to beat in Formula 2 after the rookie racer secured points in both races to leapfrog Helmut Marko's hopeful Isack Hadjar in the standings.

With Franco Colapinto and Ollie Bearman showing the talent racing in F2, plus some F3 newcomers graduating to the second tier, here are the three standout drivers from the Baku weekend in GPFans' Power Rankings.

Formula 2

Victor Martins - A-

It's sadly all going to be too little too late for Frenchman Victor Martins, who secured solid points in Baku, but won't battle for the title by Abu Dhabi.

Sunday's fourth P2 finish in four rounds helps his championship tally a little, but it was his confident driving in the Sprint Race en-route to P4 that edges him above race winner Richard Verschoor in this week's Power Rankings.

Martins needs to use these remaining races to show his French bosses that he's a driver to keep Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan on their toes next year.

Richard Verschoor - A-

What a result for Richard Verschoor after stealing pole position from F1-bound Andrea Kimi Antonelli by a narrow margin on Friday.

A flawless drive, somewhat aided by the reduced race time and multiple Safety Car laps, meant victory was the Dutch driver's, and this time without any post-race penalties or disqualifications.

It'll mean a lot to Trident that Verschoor has shown what the team can also do in F2 after being so strong in F3, and they'll be bouyed by this result to go into the final two rounds.

F3 Rookies - B+

Is it a copout to score a bunch of drivers collectively? Perhaps. But it seems unfair to single out any of the new names in F2 this weekend as a standout performance over the rest.

Gabriele Mini took the podium finish on Saturday, Christian Mansell secured reverse grid pole position, and Luke Browning brought home a point-scoring finish on Sunday as the trio settled into their new environment.

It's been a year of deep talent in F2 this season, and these three drivers showed that next year won't be any different as the junior ranks overflow with potential.