Luca Ghiotto thought he had clinched his first FIA Formula 2 Championship victory during Saturday’s Feature race at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza only to be handed a post-race penalty by the stewards, but the Italian hit back spectacularly to win the Sprint race on Sunday.
The Russian Time driver finished first on the road on Saturday but was handed a five second time penalty for cutting the first chicane late on during the race whilst fighting for the lead, with stewards deeming he gained an advantage by doing so.
The penalty relegated him to fourth, but he struck back on Sunday to claim the lead and become the tenth different winner of the season, and he admitted he was satisfied to come back from the disappointment of losing the Feature race win with such a strong drive in the Sprint race.
“It was tough to lose the win in my home Feature race at almost midnight last night,” said Ghiotto. “The emotion meant that I didn’t sleep too much either, so I didn’t feel at my best this morning.
“That all goes when you put the visor down and I’m really satisfied with another win today, which proves that yesterday was no fluke and that we’ve got great pace in both wet and dry conditions and have made a step.
“Thanks to everyone – the car was great this weekend!”
