Bortoleto’s Monza Miracle
Gabriel Bortoleto pulled off an extraordinary feat at Monza, starting from the back of the grid and crossing the finish line first. The Invicta Racing driver skillfully utilized a Safety Car period to seize the race lead and secure his second win of the season, strengthening his championship bid. This victory signaled that Bortoleto is not backing down from the pursuit of current leader Isack Hadjar.
HOW THE RACE UNFOLDED
At the start, Zane Maloney got off to a flying start from pole position, maintaining his lead despite a strong launch from Paul Aron in third. However, championship leader Isack Hadjar had a sluggish start, dropping down the order. Drama ensued in the first corner when Josep María Martí, after a rapid start, locked up and collided with Aron, ending Aron’s race. Martí was subsequently handed a 10-second penalty.
With the Safety Car deployed to clear the track, the race resumed on the third lap. Maloney maintained his lead ahead of Oliver Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Hadjar slipped to fifth place, losing his position to AIX Racing’s Joshua Duerksen but continued to battle to reclaim the spot.
By the sixth lap, Maloney had extended his gap to Bearman to over a second and a half. Duerksen managed to overtake Antonelli, securing his place near the front. Meanwhile, PREMA Racing brought Bearman into the pits to swap his Supersoft tires for Mediums.
Shortly after the pit stops began, Dennis Hauger’s collision with Ritomo Miyata, resulting in a spin and subsequent retirement, triggered another Safety Car. This allowed drivers like Bortoleto, Martí, Verschoor, Miyata, and Rafael Villagómez to pit, with Bortoleto emerging as the net race leader after starting from P22.
When the race restarted, MP Motorsport’s new driver Oliver Goethe was leading, but Maloney quickly overtook Verschoor and began closing in on Bortoleto. However, the Brazilian managed to pass Correa and solidify his lead at the front.
As the race progressed, Maloney struggled to overtake Goethe, allowing Bortoleto to extend his lead. Though Maloney eventually passed Goethe, he was over four seconds behind Bortoleto.
In the closing laps, Antonelli, Duerksen, and Martins engaged in a fierce battle for sixth place. On the final lap, Bortoleto maintained his lead and crossed the finish line first, securing a stunning victory. Maloney finished nine seconds behind in second, with Verschoor taking third. Antonelli finished fourth, Duerksen fifth, and Martins sixth.
GABRIEL BORTOLETO’S POST-RACE COMMENTS
“This was the best race of my life; from P22 to P1, winning a Feature Race at Monza. I’m thrilled, and I want to thank my teammates and everyone who supported me this weekend. After a tough Friday, getting this result and bagging 25 points is simply incredible.”
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Despite not scoring in this race, Isack Hadjar remains at the top of the Championship standings with 165 points. However, Gabriel Bortoleto’s win brings his total to 154.5 points, putting him within striking distance of Hadjar. Zane Maloney’s podium finish moves him up to third place with 135 points, while Paul Aron drops to fourth.
In the Constructors’ Championship, Invicta Racing takes the lead with 228.5 points. Campos Racing is second with 208 points, and MP Motorsport holds third with 179.5 points.
NEXT STOP: BAKU
Drivers will take a brief break before heading to Baku for the next round of races from September 13-15.
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