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F3, F2, W Series and F1 championships: Decided by chance outside the car

F3, F2, W Series and F1 championships: Decided by chance outside the car

11-10-2022 20:07 Last update: 12-10-2022 08:52
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GPblog.com

The Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3 and W Series championships each provided an unexpected twist around the decision of the champions. GPBlog lists everything.

Formula 3

In September, Formula 3 headed to Monza as a support programme for Formula 1. The title fight was closer than ever, as six drivers were in the running to win the championship. It was an exciting race that was full of incidents. A nasty collision between Kush Maini and Brad Benavides caused a red flag which forced the drivers to return to the pits. It looked like the race would restart with six laps to go, but unfortunately, it was not resumed.

That was disappointing enough, and that was before all the time penalties. Most were announced while the competitors were waiting because they thought they would race again.

It seemed that the most crucial penalty was a five-second time penalty for the man at the top of the standings, Victor Martins. He was just five points ahead of Isack Hadjar for the weekend in Monza. Moreover, impressive late performances by Zane Maloney and Ollie Bearman had put them in contention.

Martins' penalty meant he was relegated to fifth place, one below where he needed to finish to claim the title. However, a later penalty for William Alatolo saved his championship, giving the Frenchman the fourth place he wanted.

Formula 2

One factor that made the Formula 3 title decision even more controversial was that the Formula 2 championship had been decided a day earlier.

Compared to the chaos that characterised the F3 race, the F2 sprint at Monza was significantly less confusing. Felipe Drugovich, driver of MP Motorsport was embroiled in a season-long title battle with Sauber Academy driver Theo Pourchaire. Although the gap between the two had widened, the Brazilian was still under pressure to win the championship. Drugovich rose to prominence this year, admired for his dominant and confident driving style. He finished 2022 in a class above the rest of the field. Aston Martin was impressed by his season and included him in their new development programme.

The young Brazilian did not experience the team's traditional rousing radio messages as he crossed the line. Instead, he crashed out on the lap and watched the rest of the race from the pit wall. Although it was a disappointing race, his rival Pourchaire also failed to score points. This allowed Drugovich to clinch the championship with three race weekends to go.

W Series

Another story is that of the W Series which has had to cancel the last three races of the season. The women's racing class is facing financial problems and is focusing on fundraising for the 2023 season. As a result, the race in Austin and the double-header at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico are cancelled. The decision also means Jamie Chadwick, who was 50 points ahead of Beitske Visser in an unexpected way, has already been declared champion.

Formula 1

Finally, the Grand Prix of Japan. A red flag in one of the first laps caused a long red flag period. When the race finally resumed, there was less than an hour left to race. As time passed, Verstappen built a huge lead of about 19 seconds over Charles Leclerc.

A last-minute attack by Sergio Perez resulted in a tight battle between the two. Leclerc cut off the track at one point and received a five-second penalty after the race.

The unexpected twist was the way the points were awarded. Only 28 laps were completed, leading many to believe that full points would not be given. Despite this assumption, Verstappen was given the full 25 points because the race finished.

Conclusion

The states surrounding the championships of Martins, Drugovich, Chadwick and Verstappen does not mean that they became champions unfairly. Each of them showed unapproachable talent this season and, in my view, fully deserved their victories. It is just striking that all these championships happened to have all been decided while they were beside their cars.