Oscar Piastri wins 2021 FIA Formula 2 championship
Australian Oscar Piastri is the 2021 FIA Formula 2 drivers' champion after holding off teammate Robert Shwartzman in Abu Dhabi.
Oscar Piastri is the 2021 FIA Formula 2 champion. (Fox Sports)
It is the Melburnian's third major title in a row after winning the Formula Renault Eurocup and FIA Formula 3 championship.
Piastri took the championship with the most wins, pole positions, and fastest laps in a dominant second-half of the championship.
Jehan Daruvala led away from the reverse-grid pole and took a lights-to-flag victory after holding off a spirited challenge from Felipe Drugovich.
Dan Ticktum started the race in second but fell to fourth at the start.
PREMA teammates Robert Shwartzman and Oscar Piastri sped through the pack on the opening lap, with Shwartzman up two positions to fifth and Piastri behind him after gaining four positions to sixth.
The teammates pushed through the pack, passing Ticktum on lap three and Lawson on lap six.
Piastri was finally crowned champion on lap twenty when he passed Shwartzman, the pair battling hard through the final sector before the Australian took third position and the championship victory.
"Thank you everyone, thank you very much," said Piastri.
"Just super happy - what a race to clinch it on."
"I wanted to get onto the podium to do some good celebrating, and we pulled it off."
"So happy, it was a lot less stressful than last year, so I'm very happy about that."
"Very, very, very happy!"
Liam Lawson finished fifth, with Marcus Armstrong in tenth ahead of Aussie Jack Doohan in eleventh.
