Bortolotti caps vintage year with Spanish domination

Mirko Bortolotti capped his dominant Formula Two campaign with an imperious weekend at Circuit de Catalunya.

The Italian - who was crowned champion last time out at Monza - took pole for both races at the Spanish circuit and duly converted each into victory, adding two fastest laps along the way. The wins took his tally for the season to seven, equaling Andy Soucek’s 2009 record in the revived junior series.

Race one saw Bortolotti gradually pull away from a chasing pack led by local man Miki Monras. The Spaniard kept in touch early on but faded in the latter stages to take the flag almost nine seconds in arrears of the Italian. The podium was completed by Monras' countryman Ramon Pineiro, the 20-year-old a further ten seconds adrift of Bortolotti.

Sunday's season-closing race two saw Bortolotti take another dominant win, the Italian edging away from Pineiro to win by eight seconds. Mihai Marinescu completed the podium with Monras relegated to fourth.

The Barcelona event completed a vintage year for Bortolotti. The F2 returnee scored 14 podium finish from 16 races, including seven successive top-two finishes to close the season. He thus earns himself a prize test with the Williams F1 team at Abu Dhabi next month.

Christopher Zanella ends the year as runner-up but having looked a title threat early on faded over the second half of the season to finish just four points ahead of Pineiro. The Spaniard was the only driver to hold a candle to Bortolotti over the final four rounds, winning three times in eight races and picking up an additional trio of podiums.

F2 will return to action with the first of its post-season tests at the Jerez circuit on November 28/29.

Watch live FIA Formula Two action on Motors TV


James Weeks