Dams driver Ayumu Iwasa led the field from lights to flag in the first Formula 2 Australian Feature Race. The Red Bull Junior took pole position by 6 tenths ahead of both ART’s of Pourchaire and Martins.
Iwasa claimed his 4th victory in Formula 2, retaining the lead during two safety car interventions and dramatic collisions up and down the field.
[adrotate banner=”9″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
As It Happened
Iwasa comfortably held the lead into turn 1 ahead of the ART drivers as Bearman and Maloney came together, the fellow Red Bull Junior pushed wide over the kerbs at turn 3 and dropped down the order to 8th.
Ayumu was unchallenged by those behind, getting a dream start for the Australian Feature Race and avoiding the battling drivers behind. Pourchaire held position ahead of his teammate, the two coming close together in turns 1 and 2 but the more experienced driver of the two holding onto 2nd position.
The first safety car came out on lap 8, caused by Jak Crawford making his way into the barriers after tangling with home hero Jack Doohan. The leaders took their opportunity to pit for new tyres and returned to the race for the second stint.
Rookie Oliver Bearman had drama in the pits after coming together with Isack Hadjar, his Formula 3 title rival from last year. Bearman was out of the race with a puncture and his teammate inherited the lead on an alternate strategy.
With the field split on tyre strategy, the leaders were forced to break through the traffic in the midst of an all out war for position. Iwasa kept a calm head, quickly and efficiently picking off each car to make his way back to the front and staying there.
Dennis Hauger: Hero to Zero
MP Motorsport driver Dennis Hauger started the Australian Feature Race down in 10th and quietly made his way through the field. As racing resumed on lap 13, Hauger snatched 6th place from a struggling Victor Martins. He continued to progress, taking 5th from Enzo Fittipaldi who had yet to stop.
Dennis won the sprint race from reverse pole on Saturday and had plenty of pace in hand, but a second safety car halted his charge and settled things down once again.
The field got back to green flag racing on lap 30 for a burst of speed before the chequered flag flew. Iwasa was out front ahead of Pourchaire and Dennis Hauger, the Norwegian driver was sitting P3 with 3 laps to go, but heartbreak was just around the corner.
Victor Martins locked up into the final turn and tagged Dennis, sending him spinning around and ruining his podium hopes. The incident put a bitter taste to what was on track to be an amazing recovery weekend by Hauger.
How It Finished
Hauger’s downfall promoted the other Dams of Arthur Leclerc to the podium and left him to fight it out with Fred Vesti for P3. Leclerc held onto the place and came home to take his first podium in Formula 2, rounding off a positive weekend for the Dams team as they moved into the lead of the Teams Championship after the Australian Feature Race.
Iwasa once again remained unchallenged by Pourchaire, the Frenchman slotting in behind his rival and picking up important points for his championship challenge. Iwasa takes the lead of the championship from Pourchaire with an 8 point lead heading into Baku.
Looking Ahead
Both Dams teammates are riding the momentum of success in Formula 2, Iwasa using his experience to keep a calm head and pick up points whilst rookie Leclerc learns from his teammate and demonstrates his speed.
After ART’s domination in Bahrain, Pourchaire and Martins have struggled in Jeddah and Melbourne. The team need to bounce back in Baku to take the challenge to the front runners and score consistent points.
Ralph Boschung had a lightning start to the season, but has struggled since leaving the Bahrain desert and has found himself battling lower down the field than he would have hoped. But hopes are high for the Swiss driver going into the Baku race weekend as his impressive reputation on street circuits precedes him.
Dennis Hauger’s season hasn’t started as he would have hoped, but the speed and determination is there for the taking if he can find his groove and keep his nose clean.
Image Courtesy of: Joe Portlock – Formula 1 / Contributor
[adrotate banner=”5″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.