The third stage of FIA F2 will take place at the Albert Park Circuit

After passing through Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the FIA F2 Championship lands in Oceania this weekend for the third round of the annual calendar. At the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia, the 22 drivers participating in the Championship will face the challenges of one of the most technical and challenging tracks of the season.

In his first year in this category, which is the last step before Formula 1, Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto is very excited about what lies ahead. In 2023, while still competing in FIA F3, the 19-year-old had his best weekend of the year by securing pole position and winning the main race of the weekend (feature race).
The Albert Park circuit is originally a street track, built around the perimeter of the park. The layout, quite fast for a non-permanent circuit, is 5,278 meters long with 14 corners. The track record was set last year by Jack Doohan, aboard a car from Bortoleto’s team – Invicta Racing.

As usual, two races will be held over the weekend: Saturday’s sprint race with 23 laps and Sunday’s feature race with 33 laps.

After the first two stages, Bortoleto already has a history from his initial participations this year. In the first round in Bahrain, the Brazilian impressed by securing pole position on his category debut and scoring 15 points throughout the weekend. In Saudi Arabia, however, the driver couldn’t find his ideal lap in qualifying, hindered by a yellow flag. After starting 15th in the first race, the driver finished the race in tenth – outside the points zone. In the second race, the #10 car had a broken driveshaft on the starting grid, and as a result, Bortoleto couldn’t complete any laps.

“I’m very well prepared for this weekend’s activities. It’s a track that I really like and brings back excellent memories from last year when I secured pole position and won in F3. I’ve done several laps in the simulator, both at McLaren and at other locations where I train with the Invicta Racing team. I’m confident and very excited. Let’s go for the best possible results,” commented the driver from the McLaren F1 team’s development program, sponsored by Banco BRB, Porto, Ebury, Snapdragon, and Barthelemy.

FIA Formula-2 | 3rd Stage – Melbourne, Australia (Brasília Time):
Thursday (21/3)
20:00 – 20:45 – FP
Friday (22/03)
03:30 – 04:00 – Quali
Saturday (23/03)
00:15 – 01:05 – Sprint Race
21:35 – 22:40 – Feature Race

Pictures: James Gasperotti – Disclosure

Press Office of Gabriel Bortoleto
Responsible journalist: Flávio Quick