The Monaco Grand Prix, renowned for its glamour and unpredictability, delivered yet another weekend filled with excitement and drama in Formula 2.
Qualifying
Qualifying in Monaco is always challenging, thanks to the short and narrow track. To manage this, the F2 qualifying session in Monaco is divided into two groups. Even-numbered drivers took part in the first session, with odd-numbered drivers in the second session - both lasting 16 minutes.
To avoid unfair advantages, the qualifying format does not compare the times directly between the groups. Instead, the fastest driver from each group takes the front row spots on the grid, with the second fastest from each group starting on the second row and the rest of the grid following the same pattern.
Ollie, starting in Group 2, faced immediate challenges. The session was red-flagged after just a few minutes when Rafael Villagomez crashed at Turn 1, stopping Ollie from setting a competitive track time.
Once the session resumed, Ollie initially posted the third fastest time but ended up sixth in his group after clipping the barrier and losing part of his front wing on the final lap.
Combining the results from both groups, Ollie qualified 12th. Unfortunately, he received a three-place grid penalty for impeding the Campos Racing car of Josep Maria Marti during a fast lap - pushing him down the 15th for the upcoming Sprint Race.
Sprint Race
Starting from P15, Ollie needed a strong performance in the Sprint. He got off to a flying start, quickly moving up to P11, before a Safety Car on the opening laps bunched up the field.
On the restart, Ollie attempted an ambitious move at the Turn 6 hairpin but could not quite execute it. Subsequent Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car periods kept the race tight and by mid-race, Ollie reported damage after hitting the barrier.
However, he managed to continue and with a Red Flag and Safety Car restart late in the race, Ollie finished in P11.
Feature Race
Ollie’s Feature Race saw him start from P12 and he got off to an excellent start, moving up to P7 within the opening laps. By Lap 16, he pitted for soft tyres while his Prema Racing teammate pitted on Lap 22 and rejoined the race ahead of Ollie.
With tyres now several laps in and thoroughly warmed up, Ollie overtook teammate Antonelli at the iconic Turn 6 hairpin in an excellent manoeuvre. Just five laps later, Ollie climbed to fourth place, fending off Juan Manuel Correa with a strong race pace.
With the race leader, Zak O’Sullivan, yet to pit and just a handful of laps to go, Ollie was set for a third-place finish. However, Lap 40 contact between Durksen and Maloney meant another Virtual Safety Car and, in the seconds before it was called, O’Sullivan came into the pits. This meant he rejoined the now neutralised race still in P1 - stunning everyone and snatching victory from Isack Hadjar and a third place from Ollie.
Despite this, Ollie finished in fourth place following a spectacular climb from P12 - collecting 12 valuable points and moving to 13th in the Driver Championship after a challenging start to his F2 season.
Looking Ahead
Despite some setbacks from the weekend, Ollie’s performance - especially in the Feature Race - highlighted his skill and determination. Be sure to join us as we head to Spain for the Barcelona Grand Prix, from 21-23 June.
