Boschung claims long-awaited first F2 win in Bahrain Sprint Race

Ralph Boschung secured his maiden victory in the Formula 2 Bahrain Sprint Race, ending his 96-race winless streak in the championship.

Ralph Boschung achieved his inaugural triumph in the Formula 2 Bahrain Sprint race, marking his first victory in 96 races within the championship.

In the reverse grid format, Ralph Boschung secured the front position on the starting grid, followed by Roman Stanek, Arthur Leclerc, and Ayuma Iwasa. Meanwhile, Theo Pourchaire, who had impressively clinched pole position in the previous day’s qualifying session with a 7-tenths advantage over other competitors, had to begin from the tenth position and make a charge through the field.

As the race began, Boschung made a perfect start while Stanek lost his position and fell behind in the order. Leclerc and Iwasa fiercely battled for the second position, which Stanek eventually relinquished. Red Bull protégé Iwasa emerged victorious in this tussle, securing second place during the opening lap. The intense battle for second place allowed Boschung to pull away, and he managed to build a comfortable 1.4-second gap by the end of the first lap.

The determined Pourchaire quickly gained four positions by the end of the second lap, and he then overtook Dennis Hauger to claim fifth place as he entered Turn 1. While Pourchaire was steadily climbing up the field, Leclerc was struggling and had dropped out of DRS range of Iwasa, putting him under pressure from the competitors trailing behind him.

Pourchaire was making swift progress through the field, easily overtaking his rivals in the early stages of the race. He continued to pass his competitors with ease and quickly advanced to fourth place. Meanwhile, Leclerc had just received a 10-second stop-go penalty for a starting procedure infringement, and Pourchaire swiftly overtook him for fourth place.

On lap 9, Victor Martins, the highest-placed rookie in the field, launched an attack on Iwasa for second place. Martins successfully overtook Iwasa as they entered turn 1, but Iwasa managed to regain his position in the middle sector. The battle for second place brought Pourchaire back into contention, who had been conserving his tires and was 1.6 seconds behind the leading trio.

Despite struggling with his tires, Iwasa managed to hold off his competitors and defend his position, causing a bottleneck in the leading pack. As a result, Boschung was able to build a significant 4-second lead over the chasing trio. Martins eventually succeeded in overtaking Iwasa, and within a lap, he created a 1.5-second gap to Iwasa. Pourchaire tried to follow Martins through at turn 10, but Iwasa managed to fend off the attack, keeping Pourchaire’s ART behind. Taking advantage of the situation, Hauger seized the opportunity and overtook Pourchaire, demoting him to fifth place.

Iwasa suffered a significant lock-up into the final corner, allowing Hauger to make a successful move in the first complex. Pourchaire once again tried to take advantage of the situation and follow Hauger past Iwasa, but his attempt was once again thwarted. The ongoing battle between Iwasa and Pourchaire appeared to have ended any hopes of Pourchaire securing a victory in the race.

As the race approached its final stages, the fierce battle among the leading contenders seemed to have subsided. Pourchaire appeared to have accepted that he could not reach the podium places, with the train created by Iwasa some 8 seconds behind Hauger, who was in third place. Meanwhile, Boschung maintained his comfortable lead, continuing to control the race and staying six seconds ahead of Martins in second place.

After 96 races in the FIA Formula 2 championship, Ralph Boschung finally clinched his first-ever victory. Hauger managed to overtake Martins and secure second place, with Martins settling for third. Pourchaire’s battle with Iwasa resulted in him finishing in fifth place, which he had to fiercely defend against Jehan Daruvala. Maini and Fittipaldi completed the list of drivers who scored points in the race.

Result of the race (which lasted for 23 laps)

Boschung claims F2 win in Bahrain Sprint Race Boschung claims F2 win in Bahrain Sprint Race Boschung claims F2 win in Bahrain Sprint Race

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