In the F2 Austria feature race, Bortoleto celebrates his first win, with Colapinto and Hadjar completing the podium.
Prior to the commencement of the feature race, disaster struck poleman Dennis Hauger, who stalled on the grid alongside Maini and Crawford. All three were pushed into the pit lane, from which they could restart.
Positioned second on the grid but now with no one ahead, Dürksen maintained the lead at the first corner, ahead of Bortoleto and Colapinto.
Behind them, Aron and Hadjar were side by side at turn four on the next lap, with the Estonian managing to hold onto fourth place.
Bortoleto pressed Dürksen, and on the fourth lap, the Brazilian managed to overtake the AIX driver with the assistance of DRS. Hadjar continued to challenge Aron, albeit unsuccessfully for the moment. Dürksen lost another position on the sixth lap when Colapinto passed him at turn three.
Shortly after, a virtual safety car was deployed as Maloney’s single-seater halted on the track. Once his Rodin was cleared, several drivers on super-soft tyres pitted to switch to soft tyres, including Marti, Dürksen, and Bortoleto, as well as Antonelli who stalled while attempting to restart.
Aron emerged from the pits behind Hadjar: a successful strategy for the Frenchman. Colapinto currently led but was on an alternative strategy and had not yet stopped.
Marti, who had pitted first, was also the highest-ranked driver among those who had made their mandatory stop. Paul Aron received a five-second penalty for changing direction under braking.
Marti and Bortoleto caught up with drivers who had not yet pitted and simultaneously battled for the virtual race lead. Mid-race, Bortoleto managed to overtake the Spaniard and took seventh place.
Shortly after, the previous day’s winner, Oliver Bearman, slowed and had to retire.
While Bortoleto passed Stanek with ease, Marti struggled to overcome the Czech driver, costing him valuable time. Hadjar passed Stanek effortlessly and caught up to his teammate.
They battled side by side on the 25th lap, but Hadjar failed to overtake. However, two laps later, the Frenchman made an inside move and passed Marti.
Ahead of Bortoleto, Crawford and O’Sullivan had not yet stopped and were contesting. This delayed Bortoleto, allowing Colapinto in the lead to extend his margin before his pit stop.
This took place at the end of the 32nd lap, and Colapinto re-emerged eighth, but with fresh tyres. As Fittipaldi overtook Dürksen, Colapinto passed both in two consecutive turns!
With his super-soft tyres, Colapinto was significantly faster than his rivals and swiftly dispatched Aron and then Marti. He reached the podium, but at the beginning of the last lap, he aimed higher and seized the opportunity: at turn three, he overtook Hadjar.
Bortoleto claimed victory and secured his first-ever win in F2, ahead of Colapinto and Hadjar. Marti finished fourth, while Aron’s penalty relegated him to sixth, behind Fittipaldi.
Aron led Dürksen, Cordeel, and Barnard. The final point of the race went to O’Sullivan in tenth position.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Virtuosi Racing | 53m |
| 2 | Franco Colapinto | MP Motorsport | +4.296s |
| 3 | Isack Hadjar | Campos Racing | +5.553s |
| 4 | Pepe Marti | Campos Racing | +6.035s |
| 5 | Enzo Fittipaldi | Van Amersfoort Racing | +11.399s |
| 6 | Paul Aron | Hitech GP | +11.437s |
| 7 | Joshua Duerksen | AIX Racing | +12.562s |
| 8 | Amaury Cordeel | Hitech GP | +22.557s |
| 9 | Taylor Barnard | AIX Racing | +27.634s |
| 10 | Zak O’Sullivan | ART Grand Prix | +32.180s |
| 11 | Jak Crawford | DAMS | +32.244s |
| 12 | Victor Martins | ART Grand Prix | +32.613s |
| 13 | Dennis Hauger | MP Motorsport | +33.470s |
| 14 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Prema | +34.724s |
| 15 | Juan Manuel Correa | DAMS | +35.143s |
| 16 | Rafael Villagomez | Van Amersfoort Racing | +49.792s |
| 17 | Kush Maini | Virtuosi Racing | +51.433s |
| 18 | Roman Stanek | Trident | +55.494s |
| Ret | Ritomo Miyata | Rodin Motorsport | |
| Ret | Richard Verschoor | Trident | |
| Ret | Ollie Bearman | Prema | |
| Ret | Zane Maloney | Rodin Motorsport |
The championship standings
| Position | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aron | 115 |
| 2 | Hadjar | 106 |
| 3 | Bortoleto | 85 |
| 4 | Maloney | 75 |
| 5 | Colapinto | 75 |
| 6 | Crawford | 65 |
| 7 | Hauger | 62 |
| 8 | Maini | 52 |
| 9 | Marti | 49 |
| 10 | Antonelli | 48 |
F2 Austria: Bortoleto Seals Maiden Victory, Podium Complete. F2 Austria: Bortoleto Seals Maiden Victory, Podium Complete
- You may also like>F2 Austria: Bearman Triumphs in Sprint Race
- Following us on>Facebook and>Twitter
