Isack Hadjar is battling the Formula 2 championship but he is under pressure from his nearest rival, Gabriel Bortoleto, heading into Azerbaijan.
The Frenchman holds a 10.5-point advantage with three rounds to go but has suffered a difficult run of races, opening up the championship battle in FIA F2.
Hadjar has scored points in just one of the last five races with a brief upturn in form coming in the Feature Race in Belgium, taking victory for Campos Racing.
Bortoleto has ignited the title battle with his performances in recent Feature Races, taking second place at Spa-Francorcamps and winning at Monza, to see Hadjar’s hopes start to fade.
Isack Hadjar is under more pressure to win the F2 championship than Gabriel Bortoleto
Hadjar is incredibly talented and came very close to winning the FIA F3 title in 2022 before stepping up to Formula 2 last year.
The 19-year-old is also backed by Red Bull and is under pressure to deliver while being supported by the programme that has produced multiple F1 world champions.
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His first season at the second tier of motorsport was underwhelming, with a difficult run of races in the middle of the season. Hadjar took third place at the Red Bull Ring but wasn’t quick enough over the year to fight for the title.
A third year in the championship is rarely of much benefit for drivers with ambitions of making it to Formula 1, even if they can clinch the title.
So, this might be the Red Bull junior’s last year in F2 and he could move into a reserve role with RB for 2025 if Liam Lawson can find his way into Formula 1.
Despite his links with the Red Bull family, Hadjar needs to deliver on the track in the final three rounds in F2. There is also more pressure on him to take the title than there is on Bortoleto.
The Brazilian is coming towards the end of his rookie season and is driving very well as Formula 2 leaves Europe behind.
Bortoleto also has links to Formula 1 with McLaren, but there is unlikely to be any movement at the British team in the near future. He is also at a slightly different career stage and can afford to lose the title more than Hadjar, as it is his first year.
The Campos driver also has talent behind him in the Red Bull programme in Arvid Lindblad, who will step up to F2 next year, giving Hadjar competition for a potential opening at RB in F1.
Baku has the potential to cause chaos in the F2 title fight
The Baku City Circuit has been a popular round in FIA Formula 2 and is a very unpredictable circuit with a compromised setup required.
The long pit straight and overtaking opportunities of the first sector of the lap push the teams towards low downforce but it needs to be balanced by mechanical grip in sector two.
Qualifying in Baku could be decided by getting a slipstream on the main straight and getting close to the walls further around the lap.
It will be vital to keep the car out of the walls as the margins are so fine in Azerbaijan, particularly at Turn 8 where the track is less than eight metres wide.