DAMS’ Ayumu Iwasa has become the latest FIA Formula 2 rookie to take his maiden victory in the category after a masterclass in Le Castellet saw him win Sunday’s Feature Race by a comfortable margin.
The Japanese Red Bull junior took the lead on the first lap and didn’t look back, stretching out a mega eight second gap on Théo Pourchaire who finished in second place to the delight of the home crowd.
Frederik Vesti made it a double podium for ART Grand Prix after coming home in third, meaning the French racing outfit now lead the teams’ standings for the first time since round one in Bahrain.
The championship leader, Felipe Drugovich, had another strong performance and finished in fourth after a late charge on the alternate strategy earned himself another good points haul.
Virtuosi Racing’s Jack Doohan missed out on a podium after spinning while competing with Pourchaire for second place. The Alpine junior went for a move down the inside of the Mistral chicane on lap nineteen and before he could do anything about it, he was facing the wrong way.
Having ruined his tyres in the process, Doohan hung on to fifth place by the time the chequered flag fell.
The pole-sitter, Logan Sargeant, had a day to forget. The American Williams junior lost the lead as the lights went out thanks to some wheel-spin and was forced to retire when his mandatory pit-stop came around.
Having looked like a podium was solidly on the cards, the Carlin team were unable to restart his Dallara F2/18 after it looked to stall in the box meaning his and the teams efforts had gone out the window.
His team-mate, Liam Lawson, ended the race in sixth place ahead of PREMA Racing’s Jehan Daruvala who finished seventh.
Clément Novalak earned another points finish in his rookie season in eighth with Roy Nissany and Enzo Fittipaldi rounding out the top ten finishers in ninth and tenth, respectively.
Lawson’s win in Saturday’s Sprint Race coupled with the dominant performance by Iwasa in the Feature Race means it was a full Red Bull junior sweep in the Formula 2 at Circuit Paul Ricard.
Max Verstappen’s win in the French Grand Prix makes it three out of three for the Austrian constructor over the weekend.
| POS | NO. | NAME | NAT | TEAM | TIME (30 Laps) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Ayumu Iwasa | JPN | DAMS | 57:54.568 |
| 2 | 10 | Théo Pourchaire | FRA | ART Grand Prix | +8.649 |
| 3 | 9 | Frederik Vesti | DNK | ART Grand Prix | +9.887 |
| 4 | 11 | Felipe Drugovich | BRA | MP Motorsport | +10.253 |
| 5 | 3 | Jack Doohan | AUS | Virtuosi Racing | +16.050 |
| 6 | 5 | Liam Lawson | NZL | Carlin | +19.080 |
| 7 | 2 | Jehan Daruvala | IND | PREMA Racing | +27.558 |
| 8 | 12 | Clément Novalak | FRA | MP Motorsport | +32.852 |
| 9 | 16 | Roy Nissany | ISR | DAMS | +36.514 |
| 10 | 22 | Enzo Fittipaldi | BRA | Charouz Racing System | +37.686 |
| 11 | 21 | Calan Williams | AUS | Trident | +40.214 |
| 12 | 8 | Jüri Vips | EST | Hitech Grand Prix | +45.584 |
| 13 | 14 | Olli Caldwell | GBR | Campos Racing | +46.476 |
| 14 | 24 | David Beckmann | GER | Van Amersfoort Racing | +48.501 |
| 15 | 25 | Amaury Cordeel | BEL | Van Amersfoort Racing | +49.092 |
| 16 | 1 | Dennis Hauger | NOR | PREMA Racing | +1:25.136 |
| 17 | 20 | Richard Verscoor | NLD | Trident | DNF |
| 18 | 23 | Cem Bölükbasi | TUR | Charouz Racing System | DNF |
| 19 | 6 | Logan Sargeant | USA | Carlin | DNF |
| 20 | 15 | Roberto Merhi | ESP | Campos Racing | DNF |
| 21 | 7 | Marcus Armstrong | NZL | Hitech Grand Prix | DNF |
| 22 | 4 | Marino Sato | JPN | Virtuosi Racing | DNF |
