Great Britain Grand Prix – F2 Feature Race: Martins prevails as a master despite his penalty
After a crazy race, marked by safety cars, Victor Martins emerges as the winner in Silverstone. Despite a 5-second penalty, the French driver was able to maintain a blistering pace to widen the gap and secure his first victory. Finishing third, Théo Pourchaire narrows the gap to Vesti in the championship by 6 points after the Danish driver's retirement.
Before the start of this race, the stakes are high for the championship leaders: Fred Vesti needs to try to extend his lead while Théo Pourchaire and Ayumu Iwasa must try to reduce it. The Japanese driver is in the best position on the grid, starting 3rd. Pourchaire and Vesti are further back: 8th and 10th. Victor Martins is starting from pole position for the second weekend in a row. Also, watch out for Oliver Bearman starting from 5th position and Kush Maini, a surprising 2nd.
At the lights out, it’s Ayumu Iwasa who takes the lead. But Martins overtakes him in the first corners. Oliver Bearman jumps from 5th to 3rd place. Théo Pourchaire has a more difficult start and finds himself far from his rival, Vesti. The Frenchman loses 2 places while the Danish driver gains 3!
Victor Martins is immediately widening the gap on Iwasa. Already three seconds separate the two men on the 4th lap. Vesti and Pourchaire are wheel to wheel behind.
The race becomes crazy
Fred Vesti dives into the pit lane at the end of the 6th lap. At the same time, the safety car is deployed: Amaury Cordeel is stopped on the track. Martins takes advantage of this to make a pit stop and comes out in 3rd place, behind Arthur Leclerc and Isack Hadjar who are leading, but they have not made a pit stop.
At the 11th lap, the race resumes, and Hadjar takes the lead. Suddenly, Fred Vesti slows down! A thunderous shock and a new safety car. Upon resuming the race, Hauger, Vesti, and Stanek collide in the final corners. The Danish driver is forced to retire, which is a very bad news for his championship campaign.
The race is once again restarted on the 15th lap. Hadjar quickly pulls away from his pursuers, Leclerc and Martins. They break away, but only Martins has made a pit stop, so he is currently in the lead. The French driver receives a 5-second penalty for gaining an advantage by going off the track during the first lap with Iwasa.
Then, the collision between the Campos drivers causes the deployment of yet another safety car. Martins is in the lead, followed by Maloney and Pourchaire. He is virtually 6 points behind Vesti in the championship!
The race resumes for the 3rd time on the 20th lap. Arthur Leclerc is in 4th place with the soft tires, he could create a surprise. Hitech messed up in the pits with Hadjar: the French driver drops to 16th place.
Arthur Leclerc exploits his new tires and overtakes Pourchaire for third place. The battle between Maloney and Leclerc intensifies. Meanwhile, Victor Martins increases his lead to secure his position despite his 5-second penalty, and even sets the fastest lap. He is driving at an impressive pace while Théo Pourchaire regains third place from Arthur Leclerc, who is struggling with his worn-out soft tires.
Despite his penalty, Victor Martins brilliantly asserts himself without ever being worried. Théo Pourchaire accomplishes a good performance with third place, thus taking back 15 points from his rival Vesti. The Danish driver now only has a 6-point lead.
