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He’s in a less competitive car and on another demanding street circuit, so expectations will need to be kept in check. But Bearman has little to lose, and can gain plenty of experience that will be invaluable for him to build on ahead of next year’s promotion.
The fight for a seat at Sauber
While Bearman won’t be racing in F2 this weekend, there will be plenty of eyes on the category as the title battle hots up.
EXCLUSIVE: ‘It’s about never being satisfied’ – Binotto on instilling the ‘Audi mindset’ and how long it will take his new team to win
Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar had a healthy lead over McLaren young driver Gabriel Bortoleto arriving in Monza, and will have expected to extend that after qualifying second for the Feature Race, while Bortoleto spun out of qualifying and started both races at the back.
But the Brazilian rookie delivered a superb recovery, climbing to finish eighth in a dead heat with Dennis Hauger and receive half a point in the Sprint Race, and then go from last to first and remarkably win the Feature Race after a well-timed Safety Car.
Bortoleto is now just 10.5 points behind Hadjar, and has been name-checked by new Sauber Motorsport boss Mattia Binotto as one of the drivers on the team’s list for the vacant race seat in 2025.
He’s vying with the likes of Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu and Theo Pourchaire among others, and any potential deal is likely to need negotiations with McLaren. But continuing to be a factor in the title fight – for what would be back-to-back championships in F3 and F2 – would certainly do Bortoleto’s chances no harm.
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