Written by Matthew Hume

The opening round of the season is in the books and what a start to the year it was. Action a-plenty in both F2 and F3, and allegedly an F1 race as well. If you want to hear more about all that went on in F2 during Bahrain, be sure to checkout F24U, hosted by yours truly as well as the man editing this article. Having introduced the F3 Power Rankings on that very show, I thought it would be a bit of fun to start keeping an F2 version as well, and without further ado, here it is.

When talking about F2 Bahrain there can really only be one storyline that matters; the total domination of Zane Maloney who was in scintillating form last weekend. Jashan’s favourite son, owing back to what must now be considered a truly legendary save on Motorsport Manager in which he had Zane as a driver on his team. Maloney is a favourite of mine as well after I watched his breathtaking rookie season in the 2022 season of F3, including one of the best finishes to a season I’ve ever seen. Zane’s start to life in F2 last year was a mixed bag, he flashed some of his raw brilliance with several strong Quali efforts and a handful of podiums, but there were plenty of weekends when he was an also-ran.

Any doubts that may have existed over just how good this young man is have definitely been extinguished. Starting P8 in the sprint he masterfully carved his way through the field to take the lead with well over half the race remaining. In a league of his own, he would comfortably checkout at the front and take a commanding first win in F2 to start 2024 in strong fashion. Sundays’ feature race would see him start in a promising P3 position. A savvy decision to start on the softs would see Maloney in the lead of the race come turn 1. Following an early safety car, he built a comfortable lead for himself before the mandatory pitstop. Whilst the win seemed in some doubt due to a late safety car, he was able to build back out to a nice margin after the restart to take another commanding victory and sweep the weekend. Considering we have seen just two such sweeps in the last two years, starting the season with one unquestionably lays down the gauntlet to the other 21 drivers on the grid. As for now though, it is Zane Maloney’s world and we are all simply living in it.

A quick look back at the preseason power rankings: 1 Bearman, 2 Martins, 3 Maloney, 4 Hauger, 5 Antonelli, 6 Hauger, 7 Maini, 8 Miyata, 9 Bortoleto, 10 Verschoor

1. ZANE MALONEY +2

P3 in Quali, Dominated the sprint, Dominated the feature, need I say more?

2. JOSE “PEPE” MARTI –

Masterful drives to P3 and P2 in the two races after qualifying the dreaded P11. Thought he showed class beyond his years. Unsurprised to see him looking the pick of the rookies, very surprised to see him seemingly the only man within any shouting distance of Maloney.

3. KUSH MAINI +4

You might think putting a man who scored 6 points in 3^rd is an odd decision and usually you would be right. However, Maini had a brilliant pole taken off him through no fault of his own which changed the course of his weekend. His recovery drive to score points on Sunday tells us everything we need to know.

4. JAK CRAWFORD –

Unlucky to not be higher up in the Championship standings after Bahrain. Nabbed sprint pole after Maini’s penalty and took full advantage for a P2 finish. Was on track for a podium in the feature until his engine cut out during his pitstop.

5. PAUL ARON –

Jashan and I both agreed on the pod this week that we slept on Aron in our preseason predictions. Embarrasing from me having watched him in F3 last year. Quali wasn’t perfect but rebounded for P5 on Saturday and a mature looking P3 finish on Sunday. Watch this space.

6. VICTOR MARTINS -4

Quali pace not quite what you would expect. Was in contention early in the sprint but horrific tyre deg took him out of the points. Hard to know what his Sunday would have been after a mechanical fault ended his race early. Keeps his spot in the power rankings because at the end of the day he is Victor Martins and we know what he can do.

7. ISACK HADJAR –

Quali performance was really nice. Outclassed by his teammate in the sprint but still a very handy result. Would likely have scored good points in the feature if it wasn’t for an unfortunate tangle with Bortoleto in T1. Key takeaway is the pace is there.

8. GABRIEL BORTOLETO +1

Front row quali performance on début is a statement for sure. Nice driving at the end of the sprint to pickup points. Had to do it the hard way on Sunday after being penalised for the Hadjar contact but recovered nicely for a top 5.

9. OLLIE BEARMAN -8

Disastrous weekend. Nowhere in quali, nowhere in the sprint, nowhere in the feature. Remains in the power rankings because I’m confident that this was more car than driver and because I’m insanely biased. This writer is deeply concerned about PREMA’s prospects this season and as such, Ollie’s prospects as well.

10. ZAK O’SULLIVAN –

Disastrous weekend. Nowhere in quali, nowhere in the sprint, nowhere in the feature. Remains in the power rankings because I’m confident that this was more car than driver and because I’m insanely biased. This writer is deeply concerned about PREMA’s prospects this season and as such, Ollie’s prospects as well.

In the hunt; Dennis Hauger, Ritomo Miyata, Kimi Antonelli, Franco Colapinto

Photos via Joe Portlock Getty Images

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