A new season of Formula 2 kicked off last weekend, with the first race being in Sakhir on the Bahrain international circuit. Dennis returns this season driving for the MP family again, joined by F2 rookie Franco, who is promoted after a successful season in Formula 3.
After the practice session on Thursday, it looked promising as Franco managed to set the second-best time on the grid and Dennis came in at P5. During the qualifying session, the results were shifted. Dennis did manage to set the fourth time, but Franco only managed to get P15, so there was a lot to improve during the two races following the Qualification.
The Sprint Race kicked off, and Dennis and Franco came off their line quickly. The opening lap wasn’t good for Dennis, who dropped back two positions to P12. Franco did manage to overtake two drivers who were in front of him and ended behind Dennis at P13. Due to a stop-and-go penalty incurred during the starting procedure, Franco sadly dropped down to P19 and finished the race at the eighteenth position. Dennis almost managed to get back into his starting position but fell just short ending the sprint at P8. This did mean the first points of the season for MP!
But our drivers wanted more, and they saw their chances at the Feature Race. After a chaotic first lap, Dennis managed to get into the third position and Franco made up not one, not two, but six positions ending up at P9. Dennis struggled with his tyres the entire race which made him drop to P8. But after an until now tough weekend for Franco, he showed his skills by fighting his way up to the sixth position on the grid. This meant Franco’s first points in Formula 2!
An amazing start to the season with two MP drivers scoring points and ending up in the top ten! Excited to see what the season is going to give us. Stay tuned for updates and follow our socials. Next week we will be travelling to Jeddah for the second round of Formula 2!
Standings after the first round
P7 Franco – 8 points
P9 Dennis – 6 points
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