The Formula 2 season roared back into action this weekend under the dazzling lights of Lusail International Circuit. For Ollie, making his return to Formula 2 after a three month season break, it was a chance to remind everyone why he’s a future star of Formula 1 in the making.
Qualifying
With F2 making its debut in Qatar, all eyes were on how the drivers would handle the speeds of the unfamiliar circuit. Ollie’s weekend began in Friday’s Practice session with a chance to feel out the punishing demands of the track on both the car and tyres.
When it came to Qualifying, Ollie was quick to make an impression. Shooting to the top of the timesheets early in the session, he showcased a serious pace before being pushed down the ranks, qualifying in P10. This result locked in pole position for Saturday’s Sprint Race, thanks to the reverse grid system, giving Ollie a prime opportunity to fight for the win.
Sprint Race
As the lights went out for the Sprint, Ollie lined up on Pole and faced immediate pressure from Isack Hadjar. Though Ollie held his nerve through the opening corners, he conceded the lead a couple of laps later going into Turn 10.
Hadjar built a 3.5s gap by Lap 5, but the nature of Lusail began to take its toll. As tyre wear became a punishing factor for Hadjar, Ollie methodically began to close the gap. When the Virtual Safety Car period ended on Lap 7, Ollie was relentless, gaining tenths of a second seemingly with every twist and turn until he was within striking distance.
By Lap 17, Ollie was in DRS range and on Lap 19 he saw his moment - diving to the inside of Turn 1, seizing the lead with the kind of confidence that defines a racing champion. A late Safety Car soon neutralised the field, but Ollie crossed the line in P1, claiming his third victory of the season. Following the race, Ollie said,
“It was a tough one. I feel like I made a good move at the end of the race, but I lost a position at the start. When I got the chance [to overtake Hadjar] I had to go all in, but I’m glad it paid off. It was a really fun race.”
Feature Race
Starting P10, Ollie was quick off the line, navigating chaos to find himself battling towards the front of the pack. Opting for an alternate strategy, he stayed out on his Hard compound tyres which were giving him excellent race pace. While others pitted under a series of Safety Cars, Ollie became the race leader.
The race’s stop-start nature meant Ollie had to defend his leading position against a charging field. On Lap 17, Ollie went wide into the last corner of the track, handing Joshua Durksen the lead. However, since Ollie was within track limits and Durksen’s overtake was against the rules (because he had made the move before the cars crossed the start/finish line after the Safety Car restart), Durken had to hand the place back to Ollie.
With the Safety Car interventions and the delayed start to proceedings, the race then ran to time rather than laps. With just 13 minutes to go, Ollie had built a commanding lead of over four seconds, hoping for a late Safety Car to minimise time lost during the pit stop.
But motorsport has no guarantees. With no Safety Car looking likely, Ollie had to pit with his just moments to go, dropping out of the points and finishing P12.
Looking Ahead
Ollie’s weekend in Qatar demonstrated the highs and lows of a weekend of motorsport. With just one race to go in the Formula 2 season, all eyes are now on Yas Marina for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from 6-8 December as Ollie prepares for his next chapter with the MoneyGram Haas Formula 1 Team in 2025.
