Mirko Bortolotti took a commanding victory in the second Formula Two race at Spa-Francorchamps to retake the lead of the championship.
The Italian started the race in third on the grid but took the lead of the race past polesitter Will Bratt out of La Source and on the run down to Eau Rouge. Ramon Pineiro, who had started second, spun at La Source, dropping him down the field.
Tobias Hegewald moved up to second place, with newcomer Jordan King improving on his already-impressive grid slot of sixth to take third place. Bratt meanwhile slipped down to fifth.
Hegewald tried to chase down Bortolotti for the win but would spin out at Les Combes on the sixth lap. This promoted Christopher Zanella to second place, where he would remain for the rest of the race. The Swiss driver was unable to threaten Bortolotti, with the Italian taking the checkered flag with a margin of 4.8 seconds over Zanella.
“I got a good start and I knew it was going to be very tight going into La Source,” said Bortolotti. “I tried to go for the inside but Will closed the door so I had to go around the outside which worked out ok and managed to go through Eau Rouge leading the race.
“After that I was pushing quite a lot but still had to defend my position on the first couple of laps. Then I tried to get my rhythm and push as much as I can and open up a gap. There’s still a long way to go in the championship so I need to stay focused and produce the best results we can.”
Bratt held off Miki Monras to finish third and complete the podium. The Spaniard was prevented from passing the Briton by yellow flags just as he had got a run on him out of Eau Rouge.
Mihai Marinescu finished a fine fifth after passing Jack Clarke down the Kemmel Straight on lap ten. Alex Brundle took seventh place, finding a way past King late in the race after the 17-year-old had slipped back from his early podium position.
Kelvin Snoeks and Thiemo Storz completed the top ten, both enjoying a double points-scoring weekend at Spa.
Bortolotti's victory sees him move five points ahead of Zanella in the standings, with Monras now 31 points off the lead after a disappointing weekend. The F2 field moves onto Nurburgring next weekend for the fourth round of the season.
Race result:
1. Mirko Bortolotti, 17 Laps
2. Christopher Zanella, +4.806s
3. Will Bratt, +6.760s
4. Miki Monras, +7.907s
5. Mihai Marinescu, +16.650s
6. Jack Clarke, +20.151s
7. Alex Brundle, +31.257s
8. Jordan King, +34.959s
9. Kelvin Snoeks, +44.198s
10. Thiemo Storz, +47.516s
Standings after six races:
1. Mirko Bortolotti, 109pts
2. Christopher Zanella, 104pts
3. Miki Monras, 78pts
4. Will Bratt, 68pts
5. Tobias Hegewald, 54pts
6. Alex Brundle, 49pts
7. Mihai Marinescu, 46pts
8. Ramon Pineiro, 28pts
9. Jack Clarke, 21pts
10. Jon Lancaster, 14pts
