With Alpine Academy driver Kush Maini on reverse pole following Josh Dursken’s penalty, Formula 2 2024 saw a new race winner at the Spanish GP as Victor Martins took his first win of the season in the sprint race.
At Lights Out
The front row saw a double Alpine Academy lockout with Kush Maini in Invicta Racing and Victor Martins in ART Grand Prix. It was a slow launch for Maini, with Martins taking the lead into turn one. Maini had a nightmare start, dropping down to P5.
Several drivers made up places from others’ mistakes on the first lap. However, they all kept it clean with no incidents in the first few laps of the 26-lap sprint race.
For three laps, Isack Hadjar battled alongside Kimi Antonelli on the main straight, trying to overtake for P7. However, great defending from Antonelli kept the Frenchman behind. Hadjar complained over the radio about Antonelli moving while braking.
With one Prema battling for seventh, Ollie Bearman had a tricky race weekend. At P15 on lap 7, he was slightly pushed off the track but took the escape road. He lost a few places, putting him well out of the points-paying positions.
By lap 8, race leader Victor Martins had created a gap from Miyata, getting out of the DRS zone. All of the top four drivers were out of each other’s DRS range.
Another Hard Race for Bearman
On lap 9, Bearman received a track limits warning, saying he was having trouble staying within the track due to difficulty turning. There seemed to be a problem for Bearman, as three drivers passed him within the first few corners of the circuit. Bearman dropped to the bottom of the grid, over a second behind P21’s Taylor Barnard on lap 12. He finished at the end of the grid, despite his team telling him to pit on lap 13.
On lap 12, Hadjar finally overtook Antonelli. DAMS driver Jak Crawford also took advantage and passed the Prema driver.
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Track Limits and Penalties for Drivers in the Sprint Race
Halfway through the sprint race, numerous track limit notifications came up for the drivers. The first black and white flag was given to Roman Stanek. Zane Maloney and Miyata also received black and white flags.
Roman Stanek received a 5-second time penalty on lap 15 for track limits.
On lap 17, Miyata was given a 5-second time penalty, dropping him out of the points positions. Dennis Hauger received a track limits warning on lap 18. Zane Maloney received a 5-second penalty on lap 19.
Battle for the Final Podium Spot
It was a three-way fight for the last podium spot on lap 20 with Bortoleto, Correa, and Aron all within DRS range of each other.
Miyata, who was running in P2, was given another 5-second penalty on lap 21, ensuring he would finish out of the points.
With five laps to go, track limits notifications were still coming for drivers, with some being investigated after the race. The final positions might change later.
On the penultimate lap, the battle for third saw drivers attempting to take the lead at each corner. Bortoleto, Correa, Aron, and Crawford joined the mix. Unfortunately, Bortoleto locked up and went wide, damaging his tyres. Correa moved into fourth, which was net third.
Things got worse for Bortoleto. He lost another position to Aron and then to Crawford on the following corner.
Martins’ First Win of 2024
Martins took his second-ever F2 win and 10th podium in the sprint race, finishing over 4 seconds ahead after time penalties. Kush Maini, recovering from the start, secured P2. Juan Manuel Correa rounded out the podium for the first time in his F2 career. After his accident in Spa a few years back, Correa returned to the podium. It had been nearly 5 years (since June 23, 2019) since his last podium.
The feature race for the Spanish GP takes place tomorrow morning with Championship leader Paul Aron on Pole alongside Jak Crawford.
Feature Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
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Sprint Race Formula 2 2024 Spanish GP