FIA Formula Two headed to Portugal and the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, just north of Portimão for the third and fourth rounds of the 2012 season. Luciano Bacheta was the one to watch after winning both the first two rounds at Silverstone two weeks before. The weather you’d expect from the Algarve wasn’t to be, and there was a wide mix sun, wind and torrential rain.

For the first race Bacheta put it on pole position and had a lights to flag victory, holding off a charging Mathéo Tuscher in the latter stages of the race.

Qualifying for race two was cut into two sessions when a hailstorm was unleashed over the circuit ten minutes in. There was chaos on the track and in the pitlane, but Mathéo Tuscher had managed to set the fastest lap on the track which was continuously drying until the storm. This lap was still the fastest once the session restarted, putting Tuscher on pole, with Christopher Zanella second and Luciano Bacheta third.

As the lights went out for the race, Bacheta got past Zanella quickly off the line, but Tuscher led the field on the first lap. As they came round to start the second lap, Bacheta was leading and kept it that way for the rest of the race. Tuscher was very close behind for the duration, with Bacheta spending more time looking in his mirrors than straight ahead.

Four from four for Bacheta, who heads to the Nürburgring with 100 championship points.

The first rounds of the 2012 FIA Formula Two season at Silverstone. On Saturday, 15 year old Swiss driver, Mathéo Tuscher shocked everyone by setting the fastest qualifying time and putting the car on pole for the first race, but it was Luciano Bacheta who took all the headlines by winning both races and heading to Portugal with fifty championship points.

Luciano performed the same trick in both races, taking the lead within the last few laps in both races, demonstrating excellent racecraft and clever use of his overboost facility.

FIA Formula Two’s 2011 season finale at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. The champion had already been decided, Mirko Bortolotti got that one out of the way at the previous meeting in Monza. Second place was still up for grabs and on Saturday morning was possible for three drivers to take those positions; Christopher Zanella, who currently resided in second place as he had done for most of the season, despite not gracing the podium since early July, Ramon Pineiro who was currently very much on form with podiums from five of the previous six races, including three wins, and Miki Monras who seemed to be regaining his form. Ramon and Miki both had home advantage being Barcelona-born.

Mirko Bortolotti was still the most on-form driver, racing this weekend for the title of most successful F2 driver of the new era; winning both races would give him eight career wins in Formula Two so he wasn’t about to relax. He played his usual tactics in both qualifying sessions by timing his flying laps right and getting them in on an empty track, giving him pole for both races. The Circuit de Catalunya’s reputation for lack of overtaking held true this weekend and Bortolotti scored two lights to flag victories. A fitting end to a dominant season.

Christopher Zanella kept hold of his second place by just four points, finishing just about where he needed to in both races, while Ramon Pineiro tried his hardest to steal second but could only manage third. A valiant effort considering his performance in the first few rounds of the season.

FIA Formula Two made its way to Monza, Italy for the penultimate meeting of the season, where it looked very likely that Mirko Bortolotti would be crowned champion at some point over the weekend. Mirko didn’t quite manage it in the first race, perhaps due to bad luck with yellow flags in the first qualifying session, but finishing second meant he only had to score two points in the second race to take the title. Mirko was oozing confidence on Sunday morning, claiming that despite only needing the two points, he still wanted to win the race. He put the car on pole after a single reconnaissance lap, a change of tyres and three flying laps while the track was empty and went on to win the race, the championship and a test for Williams F1.

The eventful weekend also saw Mihai Marinescu’s first Formula Two win on the back of two consecutive podiums at the Red Bull Ring, and podium returns for Miki Monras and Alex Brundle, which we hadn’t seen since early in the season.

Rounds 11 and 12 of the 2011 FIA Formula Two season headed to Spielberg in Austria and the Red Bull Ring, the newly refurbished A1 Ring. Ramon Pineiro continued his run of form winning both races. The podiums for both races were the same; Mirko Bortolotti in second and Mihai Marinescu in third. Mirko Bortolotti extended his lead in the championship further and the title certainly seems like it’s his to lose at the moment. Ramon Pineiro will be hunting down that second place from Christopher Zanella who had a fairly average weekend in comparison, finished twelfth and fourth in the respective races.

The lead shot in this gallery is unashamedly eye-catching. On the first lap of the first race Johannes Theobald managed to turn his car over for the second time this season. Fortunately, I was there to capture it! There are more pictures of the crash in the gallery, just click through for the rest.