Maloney seeks Baku redemption

A pleasant weekend with mostly sunny or partly cloudy skies is anticipated in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku, as FIA Formula 2 action returns to the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. Barbados’ Zane Maloney will be seeking to ride his fortune, as he aims for redress from a poor outing at this venue a year ago.

Baku’s legendary 6.003 km city circuit will host a challenging 51 laps in a unique urban setting, through narrow streets, difficult turns, and fast straights, including the iconic castle section. This is Round 12 of a fascinating campaign, with both Championships close at the top and each team and their driver looking to steal a march on each other.

Gabriel Bortoleto produced a stunning last to first performance for Invicta Racing in the Monza Feature Race to take victory last time out.

Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar leads the way at the top of the Drivers’ Standings despite not scoring in Monza. He stays on 165 points, but his lead has been cut to 10.5 points after second-placed Bortoleto’s Feature Race victory at the Temple of Speed.

Their title rivals will no doubt be keen to hit back this weekend. Among them will the 20-year-old Maloney, who was involved in an early collision here in 2023, and was forced to retire. The sprint race saw just half of the grid reach the chequered flag amidst multiple safety car periods.

In Italy this year, the Rodin Motorsport driver enjoyed a strong weekend, taking pole position, and finishing second to Bortoleto. The Boy From Barbados is back into the top three on 135 points. With only three dates remaining on the calendar, he will be eager to consolidate his position, and perhaps push up to challenge the top two.

Maloney graduated to F2 full-time at the start of 2023 and has now taken part in 50 races. He’s only won two of those, but he has taken a commendable 11 podiums.

Practice in Baku will be Friday from 11:00 am local time, followed by qualifying from 3:00 pm. On Saturday, the 21-lap sprint race will take place from 2:15pm. And on Sunday, the feature race goes from 11:35 am.

The sprint race will go 21 laps of the 6.003-kilometre course, 126.063km in total. The feature race will go 174.087km.

(TF)