PREMA’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli was victorious in the F2 Sprint at the 2024 British GP, successfully retaining the lead in three Safety Car restarts for his maiden F2 win. Rodin Motorsport’s Zane Maloney drove to P2 over eight seconds behind. There was a brawl for P3 between the two Invicta Racing teammates of Gabriel Bortoleto and Kush Maini. It was Bortoleto who nabbed the final podium position at the last second and Maini had to settle for P4.
The race was filled with drama due to the heavy rain that was falling throughout the session. Most notably, both Championship frontrunners Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Paul Aron and Campos’ Isack Hadjar retired from the race due to separate incidents, meaning Maloney has made up some precious ground in the bid for the title.
The weather wasn’t much better for the F2 Sprint at the 2024 British GP than it was earlier in the day for the Formula 3 Sprint. Due to the amount of rain falling, the Formula 3 Sprint was postponed. While it was slightly less bleak for the F2 Sprint and racing was allowed to begin, rain was falling over the Silverstone track and wreaking havoc.
As it Happened
The 21-lap race would start behind the Safety Car due to the incoming wet conditions on track. Antonelli on reverse-grid Pole led the pack, with Zane Maloney behind.
At the rolling start, Antonelli sped off down the Hamilton Straight, retaining his lead. There was contact between Bearman and Bortoleto as the two tangled for P4. Bortoleto would be victorious, moving to P4.
By the end of Lap 2, the rain was biblical. Out front, Antonelli had made himself a significant gap from Maloney who was three seconds behind. Championship contenders Hadjar and Aron, both hungry for crucial points this weekend, were embroiled in a tricky battle on the soaked track. Hadjar was the one to come out on top.
Virtual Safety Car Deployed
Visibility was terrible. Cars were invisible in the spray behind the driver in front. The Virtual Safety Car was deployed by Lap 3 to clear debris from Bearman’s car, before the race was once again yellow flagged. Juan Manuel Correa had run wide at the Turn 1 after a spin on the soaked track, dropping him to P22. Realising how unsafe the conditions were, the Safety Car was deployed. On Lap 4, the race was red flagged due to the conditions being too unsafe to continue.
Fifteen minutes later, drivers returned to the track behind the Safety Car. Racing resumed with another rolling start on Lap 7. Antonelli was off again, keeping his P1 position. Behind him, teammates Maini and Bortoleto were squabbling. Maini emerged from the spray ahead having defended his lead, as Martins and Hauger approached behind. Antonelli was over a second clear from Maloney while the remainder of the pack battled it out on the damp track.
Safety Car Lap 8 Pepe Martí and Paul Aron were out of the race after an incident on the Wellington Straight. Aron had damage and after attempting to limp home, stopped on track. Contact between O’Sullivan and Aron left him vulnerable, and the Estonian driver was collected by Martí who was unable to see for the spray. The incident was noted by Race Control. Isack Hadjar was also off track and retired. A spin at Copse left his car beached in the gravel.
Racing Resumes Again
The Safety Car once again entered the pits and racing resumed on Lap 12 as they made their way down to Vale. The rain had finally stopped, but the track was still soaked. Antonelli immediately 1s up. Bearman and Hauger were fighting for the last points paying position, Bearman was victorious moving into P8. However, he wouldn’t be there for long. A yellow flag was briefly waved as Bearman left the track at Copse, consequently plummeting to P18.
Martins was flying, having made up four places in the Sprint. He was on the hunt for Bortoleto to take P4, hot on his heels. In front of the Frenchman, the two Invicta Racing cars were still battling each other for the final spot on the podium. Martins sat on their gearbox in wait of an opportunity to snatch it off of them. Antonelli was also driving a blinder, three seconds clear of Maloney in P2.
On Lap 15, everything was falling to pieces for Bearman, who had pulled over at the Hangar Strait with a technical issue. At the same time, an overly optimistic O’Sullivan tapped the rear of Martins, sending him spinning off and ending the storming race of the Frenchman. The Virtual Safety Car was deployed. O’Sullivan was back into the pits with suspected suspension damage.
Virtual Safety Car Deployed
Virtual Safety Car ended with four minutes to go, only for Dürksen to bring the yellow flags out momentarily. The AIX driver caught the rear and spun off track. Luckily, he was able to keep going and full racing could resume.
Roman Stanek was into the points in the F2 Sprint at the 2024 British GP after a great overtake down the inside of Miyata with two laps to go. Bortoleto was on the hunt for that P3 position, putting his teammate under immense pressure. By the final lap, the two Invicta Racing drivers were neck and neck, and it was Bortoleto who clinched the P3 at the very last moment. The Portuguese driver was airborne and off the track down the main straight in a brawl to the chequered flag.
It was the PREMA of Antonelli who reached the chequered flag in P1, followed by Maloney in P2. Bortoleto finished in P3 behind Maini, who missed the podium by the skin of his teeth. Colapinto came home in P5, with Crawford rounding out the top six.
Photo credit: PREMA Racing
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