Madness of Monaco

May 23 O. Bearman

The Formula 2 Monaco GP was a rollercoaster of emotions and challenges for Ollie, but despite the hurdles, his determination once again shone through on the streets of Monte Carlo.

Qualifying

From the start, Ollie faced an uphill struggle in Monaco, placing 20 out of 22 in Free Practice. The session was marred by three red flags, disrupting the drivers’ rhythm - the first of which followed contact in the final corner between Boschung and Stanek. When the session resumed, Ollie himself lost the rear of his Prema at Turn 8, smashing into the barriers and rendering himself out of the session. A third red flag followed when Verschoor oversteered in the same place - drawing an early close to Free Practice.

In an attempt to make for a calmer qualifying session, the cars were divided up into two groups. Ollie was drawn in Group A. Unfortunately, in a session still littered with red flags, Ollie was unable to get in any flying laps, finishing 8th out of 11 in the run.

Sprint Race

Although Ollie faced an unfortunate retirement on Lap 25, the Sprint Race was a nail-biter. Only 17 cars managed to cross the finish line, out of 22 starters. Despite the setback, Ollie’s performance up until his retirement demonstrated his potential for the rest of the season.

Feature Race

Ollie’s true racing prowess was on display during the Feature Race on Sunday morning. Starting 16th on the grid, he made remarkable progress, showcasing true skill in manoeuvring the twists and turns of the famously tight Monaco circuit.

With an impressive overtake at the Turn 6 hairpin, Ollie moved into P13 within the first racing lap. But he wasn’t done there. Going into Turn 12, Ollie passed Cordeel down the inside, gaining P12 - all within the opening lap. Pitting on Lap 15, Ollie rejoined the track ahead of Iwasa, before losing the place within one lap.

Ollie brought it home in P11 while his teammate, Vesti, secured P1. This means that Prema Racing is now leading the Team Championship by 22 points. Vesti also leads the Driver's Championship, with 89 points following the Monte Carlo win. Ollie is 8th in the championship battle with 41 points.

Ollie will no doubt be hoping for Baku style brilliance going into Barcelona, moving on from Monaco. Join us for Round Seven of the season 2-4 June for all the action.

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