Bahrain F2 Grand Prix – Théo Pourchaire in charge!
After his abandon yesterday due to a mechanical problem, Théo Pourchaire wins this main race like a boss!
What a race we had this morning! Here is the account of this completely crazy race!
Before the race started, Dennis Hauger stalled his Prema during the formation lap, which will force him to start the race from the pit lane.
At the start, the two drivers from the front row (Jack Doohan and Théo Pourchaire) completely miss and find themselves in third and fourth positions behind Juri Vips and Ralph Boscung.
The teammate of Théo Pourchaire, Frédérik Vesti, has to retire, leaving his ART GP at the first turn. The Safety Car makes its appearance.
On the restart, Jack Doohan and Théo Pourchaire overtake Ralph Boschung.
Everything is going well until the pit stops. Juri Vips, leading with almost a five-second advantage, stops at the end of the thirteenth lap. The Hitech team makes a mistake with their left front tire and loses at least fifteen seconds stuck at their pit.
This benefits Théo Pourchaire who overtakes the Estonian at the pitstops. He comes out in third place.
Meanwhile, Japanese driver Ayumu Iwasa, starting last with his Dams, is leading with a different strategy.
Jack Doohan stops one lap after Théo, unfortunately for the Australian, the undercut worked its magic. He comes out just behind the Frenchman. With cold tires, the Virtuosi driver misses his braking point and his front wing collides with the Frenchman’s ART car. The pole man has to go back to the pits to change his broken wing.
With Ayumu Iwasa’s pit stop, Théo Pourchaire took the lead of the race!
Roy Nissany believes he will ensure a spectacular show with some turbulent maneuvers. Richard Verschoor gets taken out by Enzo Fittipaldi and is blocked at the first corner. New Safety Car!
Meanwhile, funny scenes (yes, in plural form) in the pits… Prema completely misses the pit stop of Norwegian driver Dennis Hauger, his left front tire is not properly fastened, and the latter calmly rolls down the pit lane… Retirement for the reigning F3 champion.
Second scene, Calan Williams’ Trident is stopped right in the middle of the pit lane, due to the same problem with the left front… the car is on three wheels…
Théo Pourchaire is still in the lead and the race will be restarted for only one lap!
The ART GP driver wins his third victory in Formula 2!
He takes the lead ahead of Liam Lawson, with Juri Vips making a strong comeback after his issue in the pits.
Our point-scorers from the first Feature Race of 2022!
Well done to all 👏#BahrainGP #F2 pic.twitter.com/KMw7NRX5Xb
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) March 20, 2022
Note that this is the third French victory in the promotion formulas after Isack Hadjar’s first win in the first Formula 3 race yesterday. This morning, it is his compatriot Victor Martins who wins the main race!
Three French victories in four races!
