Saudi Arabia: Fittipaldi surprising, difficult race for Martins and Hadjar

• Fourth on the starting grid, Enzo Fittipaldi (VAR) quickly understood that he had a card to play in this Main Race. Invigorated after his podium during the Sprint the day before, the Brazilian showed excellent pace to stay in the leading group throughout the 28 laps of the race.
• It was especially during the second part of this Main Race that Emerson's grandson made the difference against his opponents and in particular Kush Maini (Invicta), the pole sitter of the day in Jeddah. Very comfortable with his medium tires after getting rid of the super softs, Enzo Fittipaldi left nothing to chance on the track. Unleashed, he dropped the Indian at the start of the 13th lap to temporarily place himself in the lead while waiting for the drivers in staggered strategy in front of him to stop.
• When the Safety Car restarted, the Auriverde positioned itself very well, quickly threatening the latecomers. Not bothered by the latter's new super soft rubber, Fittipaldi made a very good maneuver at the first corner to get rid of both Juan Manuel Correa (DAMS) and Amaury Cordeel (Hitech GP) with 7 laps to go. With the field clear in front of him, the VAR driver was then able to unfold, distancing himself from the rest of the peloton who were having a hard time in his mirrors. Thus, he was easily able to reach the finish line with almost 8 seconds ahead of Kush Maini while Dennis Hauger (MP Motorsport) stole the 3rd step of the podium from Jak Crawford (DAMS) on the line, as Valtteri Bottas on Esteban Ocon right here in 2021.
• A moving victory for the winner of the day who lost his great-uncle Wilson Fittipaldi a few days ago. This is his second success in F2, the first since the Sprint at Spa-Francorchamps last July.
• For the Tricolores, this Main Race was like the Sprint of the day before. A trial. Third on the grid, Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix) again suffered greatly with his pace. He was forced to ride on the defensive the whole time never being able to look ahead. In difficulty from start to finish, the protégé ofAlpine ended up somehow winning the last point at stake thanks to his 10th place and the penalty game. Isack Hadjar (Campos) was unable to do anything when his mechanics failed him once again. “ Same problem as yesterday,” he indicated as he suffered a third consecutive retirement. Clearly, this start of the 2024 campaign is marked by bad luck for the Ile-de-France resident, again…

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