Formula 2

PIASTRI PULLS OFF MASTERCLASS IN SAKHIR TO TAKE MAIDEN F2 WIN OVER LUNDGAARD

Reigning Formula 3 champion Oscar Piastri became the second rookie winner in as many races this season, completing a superb last-lap overtake on UNI-Virtuosi’s Guanyu Zhou, to win a frenetic Sprint Race 2 in Sakhir. The Chinese driver also fell foul to a last gasp move from Christian Lundgaard, dropping to third on an all-Alpine Academy podium.

It initially looked as though Zhou was set to pull off his second win in Formula 2, after boldly starting on softs, before two late Safety Cars turned the race on its head and allowed a number of the field to switch to soft Pirellis themselves. Zhou was then left to struggle to the line on heavily degraded tyres, just about holding on to third.

Piastri and Lundgaard were amongst those to change rubber, taking advantage of a late problem for Jüri Vips, who dropped out of contention, having previously looked to be Zhou’s biggest threat. Meanwhile, Red Bull junior Jehan Daruvala just missed out on a second podium of Round 1, taking fourth.

The superb late battle took away from some incredible performances in behind as Richard Verschoor finished fourth, having started 22nd, and Théo Pourchaire sealed fifth, having started 19th.

Marino Sato and Matteo Nannini both started out of the top ten but finished in seventh and eighth, behind David Beckmann in the final points places. F1Weekly podcast number 877 includes an interview with F2 Driver Oscar Piastri.