Roman Stanek, from the Czech Republic, celebrated his second place on the podium of the FIA Formula 2 Championship in Melbourne, Australia, on March 23, 2024. In the Formula 2 Sprint race, Stanek emerged as the winner after Isack Hadjar, who initially crossed the finish line in first place, received a 10-second penalty for causing a collision at the start. As a result, Dennis Hauger was promoted to second place, while Kush Maini also secured a spot on the podium due to Hadjar’s penalty.
The race started with immediate drama when Gabriel Bortoleto and Pepe Martí collided and ended up out of the race at the pit lane exit. Hadjar, who had a good start, was responsible for triggering a chain reaction when he tried to overtake Stanek. This incident led to the deployment of the Safety Car, with Hadjar leading the race followed by Stanek, Paul Aron, and Victor Martins, who had made an impressive climb from the back of the grid.
Although tire changes are not mandatory in shorter races, Hitech Pulse-Eight decided to take a risk and put Amuary Cordeel in for a set of soft tires. The race resumed on lap 6, and the battle for positions intensified. Championship leader Zane Maloney found himself in the gravel at turn 7, dropping to 10th place.
At the front of the pack, Hadjar built a significant lead over his competitors and looked set for a comfortable victory to turn around his challenging season. However, on lap 11, the second Safety Car was deployed when Prema driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli lost control of his car and spun alongside Richard Verschoor in their battle for third place. In the midst of this, Paul Aron collided with Verschoor’s car, damaging his front wing. Aron’s race went from bad to worse when he went off into the gravel on the restart with his damaged car.
Right after the race resumed, however, the yellow flags were displayed when Durksen went off track. Nevertheless, he managed to get back on the racing line without any damage.
Hadjar set the fastest lap on lap 17 to increase his advantage once again. Meanwhile, both MP Motorsport cars were closing in on Maini for third place.
While Hauger tried to keep his teammate Franco Colapinto behind him, the Norwegian driver overtook Maini on lap 22, putting himself in a position to finish on the podium in Melbourne.
In the middle of the pack, Martins successfully passed his teammate Zak O’Sullivan, moving up to seventh place as he continued his impressive climb through the field.
Oliver Bearman, who had a low starting position, was also aiming to score points. The British driver, who made his Formula 1 debut in Saudi Arabia, climbed up to eighth place.
However, Bearman later received a 10-second time penalty for forcing Durksen off track at turn 4. This caused the Prema driver to drop to 14th place with no points.
Despite crossing the finish line in first place, Hadjar was later demoted to sixth place as the FIA Stewards assigned most of the blame for the lap 1 collision to him.
As a result, Stanek was awarded his first F2 victory with Trident, with Hauger in second and Maini in third. Colapinto secured fourth place, earning valuable points for MP Motorsport.
Ritomo Miyata managed a fifth place in his debut season in F2, ahead of penalized Hadjar, the recovered Martins, and his teammate O’Sullivan, who completed the top eight.
© 2024
Portugal wins the World Cup final in an exciting match against Spain
On the last Sunday, Portugal won the World Cup title in an exciting match against Spain. The Portuguese players showed an exceptional performance during the game, displaying incredible skills and determination to bring the trophy home.
The game started with Spain taking the initiative and putting pressure on the Portuguese defense. However, Portugal showed its strength by scoring the first goal 20 minutes into the first half. The goal was scored by Cristiano Ronaldo, who once again showed his skill and talent on the field.
Spain did not give up and continued to press, managing to equalize the game in the second half. It was an intense battle, with both teams fighting for control of the game. But in the end, it was Portugal who prevailed.
The winning goal was scored by Bernardo Silva, who took advantage of a counterattack opportunity and kicked the ball into the back of the net. The Portuguese fans went wild with the goal, celebrating the title win.
Portugal’s coach, Fernando Santos, was proud of his players and praised the determination and teamwork shown throughout the tournament. He stated that this victory is a milestone for Portuguese football and that the team will continue to strive for more success in the future.
The 2024 World Cup was an exciting competition, with many memorable moments. Portugal proved to be a formidable and deserving team of the title. The players will now be welcomed with a big celebration in their homeland, where they will be honored for their brilliant performance.
Congratulations to Portugal for this historic achievement!
