2018 Yas Marina Sprint Race

The 2018 Yas Marina Race 2, otherwise known as the 2018 Yas Marina Sprint Race, was the twenty-fourth and final race of the 2018 FIA Formula Two Championship, staged on the Yas Marina Circuit on the 25 November 2018. The race, held in support of the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, would see Antonio Fuoco sweep to victory after George Russell and Carlin celebrated winning their respective Championships the previous day.

Fuoco would start the race from second on the grid, although he was instantly able to grab the lead as pole-sitter Roberto Merhi bogged down, fortunately without stalling. Indeed, unlike the Feature, all of the field would scramble clear without issue, minus Arjun Maini whose car was too badly damaged to take the start.

Yet, the clean running was not to last, for Sean Gelael would misjudge a dive on Niko Kari and duly tip the Finn into a spin. Tadasuke Makino was left with nowhere to go and hence slammed into the side of the MP Motorsport car, destroying both and littering debris across the circuit.

After a two lap VSC the circuit was cleared, with Fuoco blasting clear of Merhi, while teammate Louis Delétraz ghosted past new Champion Russell. Artem Markelov was also on the warpath, taking seventh from Dorian Boccolacci, before Russell managed to complete two quick fire moves on Delétraz and Nyck de Vries.

Indeed, with Fuoco on his own out front all of the attention was on the fight for the podium, for Merhi and Lando Norris were being drawn in by Russell. Yet, try as he might Russell would not be able to force his way into the top three before his tyres lost their edge, with the new Champion beginning to slip away from the duo as the race entered its final phase.

With Russell gone Norris was free to harass Merhi for second, and duly lined up a move at the start of the final tour of the season. Merhi would, however, manage to swat aside his first attack, before a mistake at the turn eight/nine chicane allowed Norris to slip through without hindrance.

Out front, meanwhile, Fuoco was left to cruise home and claim his second win of the season, while a delighted Norris almost crashed into the pit wall as he crossed the line. Merhi completed the podium ahead of pre-declared Champion Russell, while de Vries, Delétraz, Markelov and Alexander Albon completed the points.

Background
The Yas Marina Circuit was unchanged ahead of the 2018 season finale for Formula Two, with no modifications to the DRS zones either. Likewise, there would be no changes to the grid, meaning Roberto Merhi would start from pole, while new Champion George Russell would start from eighth. Only Arjun Maini was expected to miss out, with the Indian racer's Trident too badly damaged to take the start after his spectacular collision with Nicholas Latifi in the Feature.

Prior to the race the first hints of news about the 2019 season came to light, with a surprise announcement that Russian Time were set to leave the series. Indeed, the Russian squad's investors had opted to sell the team prior to the final round, although the buyer was not initially revealed. It was expected, however, that the new owners would publicly announce themselves prior to the End of Season Test, scheduled for the week after the race.

Furthermore, it was revealed that Sauber F1 junior Tatiana Caldéron would get her first taste of F2 after a couple of outings in their old Formula One cars. Indeed, the Sauber squad had arrange for Calderon to drive for their F2 partners Charouz Racing System, with the Colombian racer set to complete the full EoS Test in hopes of securing a full-season seat in 2019. Another driver set to take part in the test would be ex-F2 racer Nobuharu Matsushita, who was in negotiations with Carlin to rejoin the series.

Into the Championship and the combined efforts of pole and victory in the Feature had ensured that Russell was declared as the 2018 Champion with a race to spare, having left him 66 points clear with seventeen left to fight for. Alexander Albon hence faced a fight to hold onto second, with Lando Norris having closed the gap to just four points heading into the final day. Nyck de Vries was also in mathematical contention, albeit having to make up a fifteen point gap, while Artem Markelov was confirmed in fifth.

Likewise it was all over in the Teams' Championship with a race to spare, for Carlin had just kept out of reach of ART Grand Prix heading into the final day. Indeed, with just 29 points available in the final race the British squad found themselves 31 points clear, with ART officially registered in second. DAMS were similarly confirmed in third, leaving all eyes on the fight for fourth between Russian Time and Pertamina Prema.

Entry List
The full entry list for the is displayed below:

Grid
The grid for the twenty-second race of the 2018 campaign was formed from the finishing positions of the Feature Race, with the top eight reversed as per-FIA Formula Two rules:


 * * Maini was unable to start the race after an accident in the Feature.

Results
The final classification of the is displayed below:
 * Italics indicate that a driver set fastest lap.

Milestones

 * Final race for Russian Time as an entrant in Formula Two.
 * Final race for George Russell, Lando Norris, Alexander Albon, Nirei Fukuzumi and Tadasuke Makino.
 * Antonio Fuoco secured his third victory in F2.
 * Charouz Racing System earned their second win in F2.

Standings
With George Russell having already been declared as Champion after the Feature it was the fight for second that had to be settled on the final day, a battle won by Lando Norris. Indeed, the pre-season favourite for the title would ultimately grab the runner-up spot from Alexander Albon by seven points on the final day of racing, although he was almost 70 behind new Champion Russell. Nyck de Vries was next, the only other man with more than 200 points to his name, while Artem Markelov completed the top five.

The final table in the Teams' Championship read as it had at the start of the day, with Carlin already declared as Champions ahead of ART Grand Prix and DAMS. Russian Time, meanwhile, would end their time in F2 with a fourth place finish ahead of Pertamina Prema Theodore Racing, with just three points between the two outfits. Charouz Racing System were next ahead of Campos Vexatec Racing, while MP Motorsport and BWT Arden finished ahead of Trident at the foot of the table.

Only point scoring drivers and teams are shown.