Spain – F2 – Race 2: Jack Aitken signs his first victory
ART Grand Prix is back in top form with a second victory in Barcelona. After George Russell's success the day before, it was Jack Aitken who stood on the highest step of the podium. Alexander Albon and Lando Norris complete the podium.
While the GP3 race took place on a track still damp with rain tires, the F2 drivers started with dry track tires.
Chronic victim of issues right from the start of the season, Jack Aitken this time managed to take off perfectly. Starting from third place, he had no trouble overtaking Artem Markelov even before the braking point of the first corner. As his opponents had to be careful not to lose too many positions behind him, he was able to pull away very quickly: by the end of the first lap, he already had a three-second lead.
His lead then increased exponentially to reach 18 seconds as he took full advantage of the virtual safety car set up to clear Nyck de Vries’ Prema, who had gone off track while trying to make an overtaking move on the outside.
But his lead melted away like snow in the sun (even in the Barcelona coolness) when the real safety car made its entrance on the track as the two Japanese from the paddock, Nirei Fukuzumi and Tadasuke Makino, collided. This collision was the first illustration of the usefulness of the Halo since the marks left on Fukino’s single-seater are impressive.
The only concern for the Renault protege was when he made a small mistake at turn 5 and Alexander Albon almost took the lead.
Then, Jack Aitken was able to once again widen a significant gap on the competition. Behind, Lando Norris continued his good streak, moving up from sixth to third place. With two podium finishes this weekend, the Briton further consolidates his position as championship leader.
George Russell managed to score valuable points, including those reserved for the driver with the fastest lap in the race, by finishing fourth, thanks to an overtaking maneuver towards the end of the race on Luca Ghiotto. In the championship, the top three are separated by only 18 points, while the two big losers of the day are Nyck de Vries and Sergio Sette Camara, who was let down by his mechanics in the middle of the track. #F2 Round 3 Sprint Race results pic.twitter.com/W6jsuaJ6dE – FIA Formula 2 (@FIA_F2) May 13, 2018.
From our special correspondent in Barcelona
