F2 Azerbaijan: Verschoor wins after massive start crash delay
Richard Verschoor has won an eventful Azerbaijan F2 feature race
Richard Verschoor took his fourth F2 race victory by topping the order of the Azerbaijan feature race.
The Dutchman started from pole position but his nerves were tested after being forced to wait half an hour for a restart after a hefty startline crash involving Pepe Marti (Campos) and Kush Maini (Invicta).
Becoming the 16th different winner of the season, Trident driver Verschoor repassed ART’s Victor Martins with a quicker pitstop and absorbed pressure until a late safety car enabled him to coast to the chequered flag.
The start was an eventful one, as Maini failed to launch from fifth, which caused drivers to scatter.
Unsighted, Oliver Goethe (MP Motorsport) tagged the rear of the Invicta, before Marti made heavy contact with the rear left of the stricken car, causing his own Campos to roll into the pitwall before coming to a rest on its wheels.
With the race delayed by 34 minutes, it became a time-certain affair, meaning reduced points were on offer.
Upon the restart, Luke Browning (ART) was involved in an intense tussle with Dennis Hauger (MP Motorsport), with the latter penalised for contact that caused damage to the former’s front wing.
Following his stop, championship-chasing Zane Maloney (Rodin) attempted to defend on cold rubber from Andrea Kimi Antonelli into Turn 3, but locked up and slid helplessly into the runoff area.
With contact as he attempted to take the corner, Antonelli was forced to manage a damaged car to the flag, but was still able to trail Verschoor and Martins to the flag. Maloney crossed the finish line in 15th.
But ahead of the final two rounds, the championship picture has changed significantly.
Starting in 20th due to his off in qualifying, Isack Hadjar (Campos) was unable to recover to the points, meaning he failed to score for the second consecutive weekend.
In contrast, Gabriel Bortoleto (Invicta) recorded a quiet fourth-place finish, moving him to the top of the standings by four and a half points with just two rounds remaining.
Baku - Feature race
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2
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Cla | Driver | # | Laps | Time | Interval | km/h | Pits | Points | Retirement | Bonus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | R. Verschoor Trident | 22 | 17 |
- |
2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | V. Martins ART Grand Prix | 1 | 17 |
+0.300 0.3 |
0.300 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 |
A. Kimi
Prema Powerteam
|
4 | 17 |
+0.500 0.5 |
0.200 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 |
G. Bortoleto
Invicta Racing
|
10 | 17 |
+0.800 0.8 |
0.300 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 |
J. Duerksen
PHM AIX Racing
|
24 | 17 |
+1.000 1.0 |
0.200 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 |
P. Aron
Hitech Pulse-Eight
|
17 | 17 |
+1.200 1.2 |
0.200 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 |
L. Browning
ART Grand Prix
|
2 | 17 |
+1.300 1.3 |
0.100 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | J. Crawford DAMS Lucas Oil | 7 | 17 |
+1.400 1.4 |
0.100 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | D. Hauger MP Motorsport | 11 | 17 |
+1.900 1.9 |
0.500 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 |
C. Mansell
Trident
|
23 | 17 |
+2.100 2.1 |
0.200 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
View full results |
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