F2/F3 Power Rankings - Hamilton's dramatic title win OUTDONE by insane F3 finale

Lewis Hamilton being interviewed at the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix — Photo: © IMAGO

GPFans Feature

F2/F3 Power Rankings - Hamilton's dramatic title win OUTDONE by insane F3 finale

Formula 2 and Formula 3 returned after their summer break to serve up four fantastic races around the Temple of Speed

Originally written by Jim Kimberley. This version is a translation.

Monday 2 September 2024 18:00

The Italian Grand Prix weekend once again proved that you can always look to junior racing for more action than Formula 1.

The iconic Monza track hosted the Formula 3 finale this weekend, with the series going out in incredible style after the championship was wrapped up at the final corner on the very last lap as both title contenders somehow outdid Lewis Hamilton's 2008 title triumph.

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If young drivers taking their championship fights to the line isn't enough to pique your interest, how about a literal last-to-first victory in Formula 2?

Yep, Monza had that too in a sensational Sunday of racing. What a return to the track for both F2 and F3 and here's the return of GPFans' Power Rankings.

Formula 2

Isack Hadjar won't be sleeping as comfortably as he was over the summer now that Gabriel Bortoleto has vaulted himself into the title fight.

The Brazilian McLaren junior bounced back from his qualifying disaster to not only take a valuable point in the Sprint Race but to turn P22 into P1 in the Feature.

Yes, the Safety Car timing greatly assisted that feat, but Bortoleto wasn't the only driver to benefit from its timing.

He had to drive yet another rapid race to be in the position to win whatwouldl become one of his most memorable drives.

Zane Maloney - A-

The Boy from Barbados was the championship leader by some margin back at the start of the season before a lull dropped him back a little.

If he can pull out a pole position and flawless Sunday drive as he did in Monza a couple more times before the season ends, he might still be the F2 champion by Abu Dhabi.

Maloney will feel hard done by that he didn't win the Feature Race after doing everything right, but he should still be encouraged that his Bahrain performance levels are inside him.

Joshua Dürksen - B+

What a rollercoaster year for Joshua Dürksen, the driver who skipped Formula 3 alongside Andrea Kimi Antonelli and secured silverware before Mercedes' new driver.

He took to the podium in Imola on the same weekend F1's newest driver Franco Colapinto won, and that looked certain the be the high-water mark of his rookie campaign with minnows AIX Racing.

Lightning can strike twice, though, and the Paraguayan driver grabbed another trophy in Italy on a weekend where he looked consistently fast against more established teams and drivers.

Formula 3

Leonardo Fornaroli - A

It's not the record that F3's new champion would've dreamt of, but Leonardo Fornaroli taking the title without securing a single race win shows his consistency throughout 2024.

He's following the footsteps of his old teammate Bortoleto by winning with Trident, but unlike the Brazilian, this is an Italian driver in an Italian team winning the title in Italy against an Italian rival.

The do-or-die pass on Christian Mansell in the final meters of the season was heartstopping, and Forna looked to be ready to race in front of his home fans from securing pole on Friday, to his Saturday battles and then kept going until the very end.

Gabriele Mini - A

No matter the final result, nor the PSI levels of his tyres, Gabriele Mini drove like a champion in Monza and is as deserving as Fornaroli of the title.

He pushed and defended from his compatriot throughout the finale, and did all he could to take the title, but it wasn't enough.

Mini leaves F3 as the vice-champion, and the Alpine junior could still find himself in F1 in a few years should things fall his way as they have for Jack Doohan if he can perform well in F2, too.

Sami Meguetounif - A

A trio of A scores in F3 this weekend as I can't score down Frenchman Sami Meguetounif's race victory just because he wasn't part of the championship challenge.

Meguetounif reminds me of Fornaroli last year; being a quick rookie in a Trident car whose confidence grows every weekend.

He got almost no screen time on Sunday thanks to the insane fight behind him, but there's no denying that his dominant Feature Race win showed his potential for 2025.

Jim's 2024 Ongoing rankings

F3 is over, and I've had to shake up the order of the Power Rankings as Arvid Lindblad's earlier stellar season stuttered in the home stretch while others excelled.

Hadjar's stumble in Monza relative to Bortoleto's excellence sees a shift at the top of the Power Rankings too.

And Franco Colapinto is no longer an F2 driver to feature in my Power Rankings, opening the gap for another name to enter as the series heads to Baku.

1. Gabriel Bortoleto - F2 (Invicta Virtuosi)

2. Isack Hadjar - F2 (Campos)

3. Gabriele Miní - F3 (PREMA)

4. Leonardo Fornaroli - F3 (Trident)

5. Zane Maloney - F2 (Rodin)

6. Arvid Lindblad - F3 (PREMA)

7. Paul Aron - F2 (Hitech)

8. Christian Mansell - F3 (ART)

9. Andrea Kimi Antonelli - F2 (PREMA)

10. Luke Browning - F3 (Hitech)

Lewis Hamilton Formula 1 McLaren Isack Hadjar Monza Gabriel Bortoleto