Marcus Armstrong enjoyed a fantastic first weekend in FIA Formula 2 taking a second-place finish in the Austrian Grand Prix feature race with the ART team.
The reigning Formula 3 vice-champion surprised no one in being on the pace from the very start of the weekend and made the most of an early pit stop to jump ahead of a number of cars before defending for all his worth to hold on to his podium position.
Unfortunately for the 19-year-old New Zealander suffered from mechanical issues in Sunday’s sprint race which meant he failed to see the chequered flag.
Speaking after the feature race, Armstrong said: “It was a good feeling to finally cross the finish line. The last stint definitely was not the easiest for a few reasons. Obviously, we boxed quite early to try and get out of the traffic. Yesterday we qualified out of position and we did predict that we’d have a pace advantage on those around us. We took a bit of a risk and it paid off in terms of strategy.”
After the sprint race, he said: “A big thank you to ART. It’s a good way to start because obviously we had very limited testing time this year in Bahrain, so every single lap that we do, the rookies, we’re going to improve. It’s a good way to start the season for sure.”
He looks ahead to the second round of the championship in a few days time, as the Red Bull Ring offers up another exciting chance to fight at the front.
