XAQxFr won Abu Dhabi D2 from P3 for a first IMS victory. Ranga20063239 followed from P4 to complete a Red Bull one-two, with VeRse LGR third for McLaren.
Thirty points moved xAQxFr from fourth to second in D2 on 82, four behind Ranga on 86. The win therefore changed both the race order and the identity of the championship leader's nearest challenger.
P3 and P4 become another Red Bull one-two
Both Red Bull drivers gained two places. XAQxFr finished 7.200 seconds ahead of Ranga, while VeRse LGR lost one grid position but ended just 0.374 seconds behind second place.
Qatar had paired Ranga's pole win with xAQxFr's P7-to-P2 recovery. Abu Dhabi reversed which member won without repeating the same grid pattern: the team reached one-two from the second and third rows.
The first victory creates a four-point contest
Ranga added 24 to reach 86; xAQxFr added 30 to reach 82. Six points changed hands in Abu Dhabi and compressed the lead without removing it.
Abu Dhabi is therefore the origin of xAQxFr's championship challenge for a racing reason, not a retrospective label. The first win arrived, the Red Bull pair finished together, and the D2 gap left the round at four.
