Frederik Vesti finished a close second to Theo Pourchaire in Formula 2 after a superb sophomore year in the series on his switch to Prema.
Despite six wins and four further podiums, the Mercedes junior trailed his consistent ART rival by 11 points, but Vesti put in some champion-worthy drives, including a last-round charge to win the Abu Dhabi sprint.
The Dane cruised to victory in a dramatic Jeddah feature race, converted pole in the Monaco feature, and collected further sprint wins at Barcelona, Silverstone and Monza during his title chase. There were some torrid lows along the way – a reconnaissance-lap crash at Spa among them – but Vesti’s class shone throughout.
Readers may be wondering why a spot in the top 50 was given to Vesti as the F2 runner-up, and not champion Pourchaire. There are clear arguments for both to be included. The Frenchman was more consistent and ultimately won the title, making his a compelling case.
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But with six wins to Pourchaire’s one – the same as series journeyman Ralph Boschung – Vesti’s peaks were higher. And the 21-year-old’s relentless determination, even in the dying moments at Abu Dhabi when the championship was realistically out of reach, proved him an admirable title contender.
Source: Autosport