In a stunning display of skill and determination, Jack Doohan secured his second win of the FIA Formula 2 season at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The Invicta Virtuosi driver’s remarkable ascent from eleventh on the grid to the top step of the podium left spectators in awe.
Theo Pourchaire delivered an impressive performance, claiming second place in the race. With championship leader Frederik Vesti’s unfortunate race exit, the Frenchman from ART catapulted to the top of the championship standings. Meanwhile, Sprint race winner Enzo Fittipaldi celebrated a well-earned third-place finish.
The drama unfolded even before the race started when championship leader Frederik Vesti spun off the track during the reconnaissance lap, effectively ending his race prematurely.
The first lap saw Oliver Bearman maintaining his lead, while fellow rookie Victor Martins struggled with a less-than-ideal start, losing four positions before making up ground into turn one.
First-lap chaos erupted as Red Bull Juniors Ayumu Iwasa and Dennis Hauger made contact, resulting in Hauger’s car ending up in the gravel and Iwasa suffering suspension damage. As a consequence, Hauger received a 5-place grid penalty for the collision, while Iwasa was disqualified from the final classification for violating Article 22.4 of the Sporting Regulations.
The race was restarted on Lap 4, and Bearman once again displayed his prowess at the start. The Rodin Carlin drivers engaged in a fierce battle for third place, with Enzo Fittipaldi ultimately securing the position after Red Bull Junior Maloney went wide. This maneuver also opened the door for Martins, who moved into fourth place. The intense battle continued from laps 16 to 23, with Maloney holding onto the lead.
On Lap 6, a pressured Ollie Bearman locked up, sending him wide. However, Theo Pourchaire, who was poised to take Bearman’s spot, also went wide, allowing the top two to continue their fight for the lead.
Isack Hadjar became the fourth retirement of the season after the Hitech Pulse Eight driver collided with the barriers at the pit exit due to cold tires, necessitating the deployment of the virtual safety car.
The pit lane battle intensified when both the PREMA and ART cars made their pit stops on Lap 15. Tensions rose as they were released side by side, with Pourchaire emerging ahead of Bearman.
Jak Crawford encountered an unfortunate incident involving himself and the Van Amersfoort racer Juan Manuel Correa, leading to the deployment of the safety car once again. Seizing the opportunity presented by the safety car, race leader Doohan made a pit stop, rejoining the race behind the championship leader.
The battle between the top rookies, Martins and Bearman, raged on, but contact between the two sent Martins off track, ultimately resulting in no change in position.
After a hard-fought battle between Doohan and Pourchaire, the Australian driver secured the lead around Lap 23, taking advantage of the DRS system. The two drivers continued their intense duel until the race’s conclusion.
Victor Martins, who finished in third place, received a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane, while Bearman, in fourth, was penalized for causing a collision, elevating Fittipaldi to the podium.
Maloney secured fourth place, ahead of Martins, with Richard Verschoor of Van Amersfoort Racing in sixth. Bearman and Kush Maini, who made an impressive climb from nineteenth on the grid to eighth, followed closely. Trident’s Roman Stanek finished in ninth place, and Ralph Boschung rounded out the points in tenth place.
An elated race winner, Jack Doohan, expressed his feelings, saying, “I was super lucky today, 100%, but I felt like I deserved some luck. We had great pace, and I was happy to capitalize on it.”
Championship Standings:
Spa-Francorchamps marked a pivotal moment in the championship standings. With Frederik Vesti’s absence, Theo Pourchaire assumed the championship lead with 168 points, creating a 12-point gap over Vesti’s 156 points. Ayumu Iwasa remained in third place with 134 points, while Jack Doohan closed the gap with 130 points. Victor Martins continued to lead the rookie standings with 120 points.
In the Constructors’ Championship, ART Grand Prix seized the lead with 288 points, surpassing PREMA Racing’s 250 points. DAMS was overtaken by Rodin Carlin, which now holds 176 points.
This race marked the final event before the summer break, with FIA Formula 2 set to return to Zandvoort from August 25 to 27 for more thrilling action.
| Pos | # | Name | Team | Laps | time | Gap | Int | KPH | Best | Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Jack DOOHAN | Invicta Virtuosi Racing | 25 | 59:01.766 | – | – | 177.852 | 1:59.871 | 23 |
| 2 | 5 | Theo POURCHAIRE | ART Grand Prix | 25 | 59:03.718 | 1.952 | 1.952 | 177.755 | 2:01.068 | 22 |
| 3 | 4 | Enzo FITTIPALDI | Rodin Carlin | 25 | 59:10.884 | 9.118 | 7.166 | 177.396 | 2:01.622 | 25 |
| 4 | 3 | Zane MALONEY | Rodin Carlin | 25 | 59:11.897 | 10.131 | 1.013 | 177.345 | 2:01.801 | 23 |
| 5 | 6 | Victor MARTINS | ART Grand Prix | 25 | 59:12.294 | 10.528 | 0.397 | 177.325 | 2:01.176 | 23 |
| 6 | 22 | Richard VERSCHOOR | Van Amersfoort Racing | 25 | 59:12.344 | 10.578 | 0.05 | 177.323 | 2:01.886 | 23 |
| 7 | 8 | Oliver BEARMAN | PREMA Racing | 25 | 59:14.467 | 12.701 | 2.123 | 177.217 | 2:01.674 | 24 |
| 8 | 24 | Kush MAINI | Campos Racing | 25 | 59:15.548 | 13.782 | 1.081 | 177.163 | 2:01.782 | 24 |
| 9 | 20 | Roman STANEK | Trident | 25 | 59:18.292 | 16.526 | 2.744 | 177.026 | 2:02.569 | 22 |
| 10 | 25 | Ralph BOSCHUNG | Campos Racing | 25 | 59:19.403 | 17.637 | 1.111 | 176.971 | 2:01.340 | 14 |
| 11 | 12 | Arthur LECLERC | DAMS | 25 | 59:20.764 | 18.998 | 1.361 | 176.904 | 2:02.532 | 7 |
| 12 | 16 | Roy NISSANY | PHM Racing by Charouz | 25 | 59:22.430 | 20.664 | 1.666 | 176.821 | 2:02.634 | 23 |
| 13 | 21 | Clement NOVALAK | Trident | 25 | 59:25.618 | 23.852 | 3.188 | 176.663 | 2:02.361 | 13 |
| 14 | 17 | Joshua MASON | PHM Racing by Charouz | 25 | 59:27.019 | 25.253 | 1.401 | 176.593 | 2:03.815 | 25 |
| 15 | 15 | Amuart CORDEEL | Invicta Virtuosi Racing | 25 | 59:29.666 | 27.9 | 2.647 | 176.462 | 2:03.756 | 14 |
| 16 | 23 | Juan Manuel CORREA | Van Amersfoort Racing | 25 | 59:31.548 | 29.78 | 1.882 | 176.369 | 2:02.413 | 14 |
| RET | 7 | Frederik VESTI | PREMA Racing | |||||||
| RET | 1 | Dennis HAUGER | MP Motorsport | |||||||
| RET | 11 | Ayumu IWASA | DAMS | |||||||
| RET | 10 | Isack HADJAR | Hitech Pulse-eight | |||||||
| RET | 2 | Jehan DARUVALA | MP Motorsport | |||||||
| RET | 9 | Jak CRAWFORD | Hitech Pulse-Eight |
