What to watch for: Key storylines to look out for in Lusail

The penultimate round of the season has finally arrived and Formula 2 visits Lusail for the very first time in Championship history.
With the Drivers’ title fight in the balance and the Teams’ yet to also be settled, here are a few items you’ll want to be keeping a close eye on this weekend in Qatar.
There’s no other place to start than the title battle between Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar. While there are other contenders still in the reckoning, the top two are separated by just 4.5 points and with two rounds and four races left to go in 2024, it is too close to call.
Bortoleto took over at the top of the Standings after a monster comeback in Monza to go from last to first in the Feature Race and yet another top five result in Baku as his now trademark consistency has catapulted him into the fight.
Hadjar on the other hand has gone scoreless since taking Feature victory back at Spa-Francorchamps, a record he will be desperate to right in Lusail at the earliest opportunity.
Qualifying for these two will be more crucial than ever before, and there’s no margin for error for either of them.
And you cannot count out a further twist in the tale if Paul Aron can finally earn a maiden Formula 2 victory to force his way back into major contention before the chequered flag falls in Yas Marina in just over a fortnight’s time. A win in Qatar and a less than stellar weekend for the other duo could put the Estonian right back into the picture.
Lusail joins the Formula 2 calendar for the first time ever. Teams and drivers have been gearing up for a brand-new venue in Qatar in the break between Rounds 12 and 13, and it’s set to be an unpredictable weekend.
The Lusail International Circuit is a high-speed track with plenty of challenging and technical corners for the drivers to get stuck into. They have sunk countless hours into simulator work as part of their preparation for the event, but you can never beat the real thing.
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Bravery will be rewarded, with those that are able to carry speed through the sweeps set to be in good standing across a Qualifying lap.
Teams will need to find the balance however in car setups to preserve the tyres enough to eke out the stint lengths in the Feature Race on Sunday, with the track characteristics putting the Pirelli tyres to work across the lap.
That will make the Sprint Race hugely important, as it’ll be the first chance they get to gather real world data in a racing situation around the Qatar circuit.
After the impressive display from the newcomers last time out in Baku, there are more F2 rookies making their debut in the Championship this weekend in Lusail.
Firstly, Dino Beganovic is in at DAMS Lucas Oil, with the Swede taking over from Juan Manuel Correa for the remainder of the 2024 campaign.
The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy talent completed a full season of FIA F3 and was one of the six drivers in with a chance of the Drivers’ title going into the final round at Monza.
He ultimately wound up in sixth position with two wins and a further two podiums on his record but will now be focused on maximising his opportunity with DAMS in these final two weekends of the season.
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He isn’t the only one, with Cian Shields stepping up to F2 with AIX Racing. The Scotsman finished his rookie F3 campaign with Hitech Pulse-Eight and will be eager to make his mark with four races to go in 2024.
Likewise, John Bennett is also new to the Championship as he steps in to replace Enzo Fittipaldi at Van Amersfoort Racing for the last two weekends. Bennett took part in post-season F3 testing with the Dutch team and will now be racing for them in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Finally, Max Esterson has been confirmed at Trident for the remainder of 2024 after he finished up in F3 earlier this season. He is taking the place of Richard Verschoor, who has moved over to MP Motorsport in place of Dennis Hauger.