In 2024, the FORMULA class once again guaranteed plenty of excitement. A total of 24 drivers competed in at least one of the six BOSS GP race weekends.
Most of the participants chose Dallara GP2 cars from different years, but there were also some Dallara World Series 3.5 and Lola Auto GP cars on the grid. The choice of the favourites for the title was quick: Simone Colombo (ITA, MM International), who was champion in the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, and Colombo’s teammate Juju Noda (JPN), who had switched from HS Engineering to MM International before the season and was also competing in the Super Formula in Japan in 2024. Noda is considered the fastest female single seaster driver in Asia and is working hard to make it to Formula 1. Marco Ghiotto (ITA, Scuderia Palladio) also saw opportunities in the former championship-winning car of Charles Leclerc. The three-time champion was only narrowly defeated by compatriot Colombo in previous years and started with his own team.
In the first race at Hockenheim, there was an unfortunate collision between Colombo and Noda during the first lap, which forced both out of the race. It seems benefiting from a bad race was not meant to be for Ghiotto. Instead, new faces were at the top of the results: Alexander Seibold (GER, Seibold auto + sport), who has been active in the series for several years, and Martin Kindler (SUI, Jenzer Motorsport), who returned to the series this year, were battling for victory. In the end, it was Seibold who was able to celebrate his first BOSS GP race victory at the Jim Clark Revival. In the second race, the qualifying order was resumed, with Colombo winning ahead of Noda and Ghiotto.
At the BOSS GP return to the Nürburgring, Simone Colombo then climbed to the top of the podium twice. In the second race, an action-packed duel developed between Colombo and Noda, who were driving on the edge. After another unsuccessful overtaking attempt, the Japanese driver spun and threw away a sure podium finish – victory was within her reach. Colombo took the lead in the standings with his third victory in a row, while Ghiotto also scored big points on two further occasions. In the shadow of the duel at the top, a rookie drove into the spotlight: GT racing ace Michael Fischer (Red Rose Racing by LRT) from Austria made it onto the podium in only his second BOSS GP race and celebrated second place together with mentor Stefan Eisinger-Sewald – a remarkable performance that another rookie was even able to top later.
But first, it was off to the Red Bull Ring, the home track of the championship. Initially, Colombo continued his winning streak, but a technical failure in Sunday’s race dampened his hopes again. This paved the way for the first class victory by a woman in the BOSS GP Racing Series: Juju Noda won Sunday’s race, after she had lost first place on Saturday due to a time penalty (incorrect starting position).
In Assen, Colombo was once again the driver to beat. Despite pole position for Noda, the Italian was the best in race 1, but in race 2 the technical devil took control again. Noda won on Sunday, but she was not the only 18-year-old on the podium: shooting star Max Cuccarese (ITA) surprised in his racing debut in the MM International GP2 with 2nd and 3rd place.
Noda was absent from Mugello due to a clash of dates, which meant that the fastest BOSS GP female driver was out of the title race. After Colombo’s two retirements, Marco Ghiotto had now taken the lead in the standings. With nine podium finishes in a row, he showed incredible consistency, even if a little luck was also needed in the event of a minor collision with a lapped driver in Mugello. But before the Grande Finale at Misano, Colombo sent the championship into a cliffhanger with two wins at Mugello.
In the first race at the World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Misano, the title contenders met on the track, which had rarely happened in the 2024 season up to that point. But it didn’t end well, Colombo retired and Ghiotto received a drive-through penalty. Because Colombo’s car also failed to start on Sunday, the decision was made in favour of Ghiotto. Without a race win, but with ten podium finishes from twelve races, he clinched his fourth BOSS GP title in the FORMULA class!
Noda eventually finished third in the championship ahead of Paul O’Connell (HS Engineering) from Ireland, who managed to score another victory in the last race of the year with his World Series 3.5 V8. Max Cuccarese was heartbroken, because he too would have almost won had it not been foiled by competitor Noda (Saturday) or an early braking manoeuvre before the checkered flag (Sunday). Nevertheless, the title “Rookie of the Year” went to the Italian.
With several top finishes, Roland Rupprechter (AUT, R&B Research and Wealth Management) has been making a name for himself this year, and Martin Kindler, who is the smallest team on the circuit, has also settled well into the series, qualifying for Qualifying 1 of the fastest pilots several times. Vladimir Netusil (CZE, MM International) is another fast rookie in the series. The Czech, who has competed in the last four races, won race 1 in Misano. The comebacks of Phil Stratford (USA, Scuderia Palladio) and of father and son Große-Aschhoff (GER, Asche-Racing) are also worthy of mention. Son Felix was at one point even leading the standings after the opening races in Hockenheim. Nicolas Matile (MCO) secured the unofficial title of fastest driver of the Auto GP, but only just managed to pip ZIGZAG colleague Jean-Christophe Peyre (FRA) to the top spot by a single point.
Interested drivers can already pre-register for the 2025 season. Send a non-binding inquiry now to office@bossgp.com
Photos: Angelo Poletto/BOSS GP
