GUSTAV MALJA WRAPS UP 2017 FORMULA 2 SEASON
Gustav Malja took away an 11th-place finish as his top score from this weekend’s 2017 FIA Formula 2 Championship finale in Abu Dhabi.
Malja went tenth fastest in Friday free practice at the spectacular Yas Marina Circuit, but struggled for grip in the subsequent qualifying session and was restricted to 17th on the grid for Saturday’s 31-lap feature race.
Once there, the Swede used a strong closing stint on Pirelli supersoft tyres to take 13th at the chequered flag, which later transformed into 11th following the post-race disqualification of two fellow rivals.
In Sunday’s sprint race – the final F2 battle of the season – Malja then ran in the midfield in the opening laps, but picked up damage to his front wing in a clash with Switzerland’s Louis Delétraz on lap four and tumbled down the order in the closing stages with heavy tyre degradation.
Further compromising Malja’s cause was a five-second time penalty dealt out for an early-race incident, and the Racing Engineering man eventually finished 17th.
“Unfortunately not the kind of finale I’d envisaged, and of course I’m disappointed,” says Gustav Malja. “We showed flashes of speed here, but overall it was not enough and we struggled to keep the tyres alive, both my team-mate and I. The damaged front wing certainly didn’t help in the sprint race, where we were in contention for a top ten result up until that point.”
Gustav Malja is classified 13th in the final Formula 2 standings, with a podium on the streets of Monaco marking the highlight of a challenging campaign.
“This season has not met my own high expectations and did not turn out the way I hoped,”Malja concludes. “I’ve given it my all and worked so hard, but we haven’t been able to unlock the full potential. Gracing the podium in Monaco was cool and something I’ll always remember, however. I will move on from this year, learn from it and see what the future holds. Whatever it is, I’ll meet it with open arms. Finally, I want to thank the team and everyone else who has supported me this season. It has meant a lot.”
The Abu Dhabi season-finale saw Artem Markelov (RUS) and 2017 champion Charles Leclerc (MCO) share race victories.
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