Victor Martins was in a thrilling race against time to snatch his first-ever win in F2 Feature Race.
Despite receiving an early five-second penalty, the ART Grand Prix driver unleashed a series of blistering laps after a third Safety Car restart, securing a seven-second Lead and his maiden F2 Feature Race triumph in Silverstone.
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Zane Maloney of Rodin Carlin tried to chase down the Frenchman’s lead but settled for second place after starting from seventh. Theo Pourchaire fought back to claim a double podium finish, making up lost ground in the Championship battle. He is now 6 Points away from Frederick Vesti in the Championship.
Ayumu Iwasa bolted off the line from third, swiftly overtaking pole-sitter Martins. However, the ART Grand Prix driver swiftly counterattacked, diving up the inside of The Loop to regain the lead. Unfortunately, he exceeded track limits, earning himself a five-second penalty.
Meanwhile, second-placed Kush Maini struggled at the start, allowing Oliver Bearman to climb to third, and Enzo Fittipaldi to pass Jack Doohan for fourth. Pourchaire, on the other hand, made an impressive move, overtaking compatriot Isack Hadjar into Brooklands, securing ninth.
Martins had already built a 4.5-second lead before the first Safety Car was deployed on Lap 7 due to Amaury Cordeel’s spin at Stowe. The ART driver and the top six runners on soft tires took the opportunity to make their mandatory pit stops. Hadjar took the lead on an alternate strategy, with Arthur Leclerc in second. Martins rejoined in third thanks to his early advantage.
Racing resumed on Lap 11, and Hadjar quickly pulled away from Leclerc, while Doohan lost positions to both Maloney and Pourchaire. Further back, Championship leader Frederik Vesti was caught up in a crash at Vale, getting hit from behind by Dennis Hauger. The impact sent him into Trident’s Roman Stanek, triggering another Safety Car. Vesti managed to return to the pits but had to retire due to suspension damage.
Back to green flag conditions on Lap 15, Hadjar once again aced the restart, while a wide moment for Bearman at Abbey dropped him from eighth to twelfth. Maloney continued his impressive charge, overtaking Ralph Boschung around the outside at Stowe. The Bajan driver then made a daring move on Red Bull junior Iwasa at Vale, taking sixth place. Pourchaire followed suit as Iwasa went wide, seizing the opportunity to move up.
On Lap 17, Martins received a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, just as the Safety Car made its third appearance of the day. Maini attempted to overtake Bearman at the Vale chicane but collided with his Campos Racing teammate Boschung, causing both cars to spin.
Capitalizing on the situation, the drivers on an alternate strategy pitted for soft tyres, propelling Martins back into the lead ahead of Maloney and Pourchaire, while Leclerc leapfrogged Hadjar.
Martins held onto his lead during the restart on Lap 19. On the same lap, Leclerc managed to overtake Pourchaire at The Loop, reclaiming his spot on the podium. However, as the soft tyres gradually lost performance, Pourchaire swiftly passed Leclerc on the Hanger Straight on Lap 25, securing his podium finish. The following lap, Doohan took advantage of Leclerc’s lock-up and made a pass of his own on the Monégasque driver.
Martins consistently set faster laps than Maloney in pursuit, extending his lead beyond the crucial five-second mark, ultimately sealing his victory.
Maloney couldn’t respond but celebrated his first podium finish since the Monaco Feature Race. With Vesti failing to score points, Pourchaire claimed a crucial third place, closing the gap in the Championship.
Doohan secured back-to-back top-four finishes in fourth, with Iwasa right behind him in fifth. Bearman executed a brilliant penultimate lap pass on fellow Ferrari junior Leclerc and Jehan Daruvala to finish sixth. Fittipaldi took seventh, while Leclerc dropped to ninth and Jak Crawford rounded off the points in tenth.
“Finally, a Feature Race win! Everything went right. We did a fantastic job, to be honest. I got hit with a penalty, but I didn’t think it was fair. So, I just went all out, and we secured our first win. The team was incredible, the car was phenomenal, and the first win is always something special, so I’m going to savour the moment.”
Victor Martins
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F2 Feature Race Results – Silverstone
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