Oschersleben: Will Bratt weekend summary

TOP THREE CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE GETS TOUGHER AT OSCHERSLEBEN

FIA Formula 2 Championship front-runner Will Bratt concluded the penultimate event of the 2010 season at Oschersleben disappointed to have slipped to sixth in the driver standings -- the result of a frustrating weekend of racing at the 2.3-mile German circuit.

Following on from a hard-fought sixth place finish in wet conditions on Saturday, 4th September, the 22-year-old from Banbury had a similarly tricky encounter in round 16 on Sunday, 5th September, to end the outing seventh -- just 0.6 seconds shy of the top six.

Embroiled in a wheel-to-wheel dice with Mihai Marinescu for the majority of the 23-lap race, Will just couldn't find a way past with overtaking opportunities, especially in single-seaters, seriously limited at Oschersleben.

Starting the race sixth on the grid, the Michelangelo Search-supported driver aimed to bounce back strongly from grip-related problems during Saturday's encounter but after slipping to eighth on the opening lap he spent the duration of the race largely boxed-up behind Marinescu.

Gaining a place a couple of laps from the finish due to the retirement of Nicola De Marco, Will ended the outing in seventh but with Sergei Afanasiev and Kazim Vasiliauskas finishing on the podium it means the British driver has slipped from fourth to sixth in the points standings.

With just two races remaining on the F2 calendar, which take place in Spain a couple of weeks from now, the fight over third place in the championship couldn't be tighter -- Afanasiev occupies third on 137 points, only 11 clear of Will in sixth. They are separated by Philipp Eng and Vasiliauskas while Benjamin Bailly is also now just two points shy of sixth.

"It wasn't the weekend we wanted at all, I'm really disappointed to have come away having lost ground in the championship and we have a lot of hard work to do a couple of weeks from now to try and take the top three points finish", said Will, "We weren't quick enough in qualifying again and it was difficult to try and pass in the race. Overall, it's been a tough event and a frustrating one too."

There are just two weeks to wait until the grand finale of the 2010 FIA Formula 2 Championship, rounds 17 and 18, which will take place over the weekend 18th/19th September at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain.

2010 FIA Formula 2 Championship Driver Standings (after Rd16): 1st Dean Stoneman, 267pts; 6th Will Bratt, 126pts

-source: willbratt.com