Belgian Grand Prix F2 – Main race: Vesti out, Pourchaire new leader

Incredible twist right from the start! Frederik Vesti, the championship leader, spun off just before the Les Combes corner during the warm-up lap! With the track still very treacherous, the Danish driver from Prema had to watch his competitors from the garage.

Théo Pourchaire, his closest pursuer, didn’t ask for so much and inherited an additional position…just like Victor Martins, 3rd on the grid, who only had Oliver Bearman, the other Prema driver, in front of him to chase.

Unlike in F1 during the sprint, F2 was able to take advantage of favorable conditions for a standing start. Victor Martins completely messed up, but Théo Pourchaire didn’t at all! The young driver from the French Riviera immediately set off in pursuit of Bearman.

Dennis Hauger and Ayumu Iwasa, two Red Bull proteges, collided after the Combes, definitely an unlucky corner: the Norwegian was unable to continue, the Japanese lost his rear suspension, and the Safety Car was deployed.

Turbulent follow-up

The safety car only took two laps to intervene and released the pack on the 3rd lap. Bearman didn’t let himself be intimidated and kept Théo Pourchaire’s vigilance in check.

Roy Nissany, still unconvincing, sent Arthur Leclerc spinning in the Raidillon. A real mess, even though the cars were outside the Top 10. Leclerc narrowly avoided the wall, but ended up with a puncture.

Théo Pourchaire, on the other hand, pushed the pedal to the metal as early as the 5th lap, threatening Oliver Bearman. The Briton was able to take advantage of the circuit’s “monotrajectory” to prevent the Frenchman from overtaking.

Victor Martins was in a fierce battle with Enzo Fittipaldi, who won the sprint race on Saturday, while Clément Novalak, in an attempt to take a gamble, made a strategy change by putting on soft tires. Isack Hadjar, on the other hand, was struggling to maintain his position in the top 10… before eventually retiring due to a track excursion.

Fight in a bundle

During the pit stops, Oliver Bearman and Théo Pourchaire made their stops, while Enzo Fittipaldi stayed on track. And ART Grand Prix did a fantastic job allowing the Frenchman to come out ahead!

Bearman was able, barely, to reclaim his 2nd place, while Victor Martins squandered a chance at a podium finish: his speeding in the pit lane earned him a five-second penalty.

Behind, Juan Manuel Correa and Jack Crawford collided at Les Combes, causing the deployment of the Safety Car. The big move was made by Jack Doohan, temporarily leading the race, who took advantage of the neutralization to make a pit stop.

The race almost restarted on the 18th lap, then remained two laps to clear the rookie Mason’s car. On the 20th lap, hostilities resumed.

Unbearable Doohan

The drivers who stopped late threatened the leaders with the soft tires: it was difficult for Théo Pourchaire to resist the fury of the Australian.

Victor Martins had a big scare at the Combes while trying to overtake Bearman: the Briton almost spun the Frenchman from the ART team.

Pourchaire, on the other hand, tried to pass Doohan again, who had the DRS. No luck: Alpine’s protege prevailed with cunning and deprived Théo Pourchaire of a second victory. That being said, the Grasse native reclaimed the championship lead!

Victor Martins, penalized by five seconds, finished in 5th place. Hadjar and Novalak retired.