Race 2: victory for Verschoor, show for Piastri

Is there a better way to stand out when looking for funds to finish the season than to score your first victory in Formula 2 ? Probably not! And that's good, that's exactly what Richard Verschoor (MP Motorsport) has just achieved at Silverstone, winner of race 2 of the British meeting ahead of Marcus Armstrong (DAMS) and Dan Ticktum (Carlin). 

As in race 1, it was at the start that everything was decided but unlike this morning, no one really got a fantastic start and this is how the top 3 on the grid was exactly the same as the final podium of the race. The Dutchman did not flinch under the pressure, and confirms his good spirits after winning the Macau Grand Prix in 2019. 

As a reminder, if the MP Motosport driver has competed well in all the rounds since the start of the season, he only enters round by round each time, due to difficulties in closing his budget. As a reminder, he will start from third position in the main race this Sunday, an opportunity for him to score big points. 

Piastres hammer the nail

Ultimately, the only two big losers at the start were Christian Lundgaard and Theo Pourchaire, the two ART Grand Prix drivers. For what ? Because the Dane stalled on the grid and was forced to start from the pit lane (finally 13th), and because the Frenchman lost five places due to a difficult start (10th). 

As in Race 1, Oscar Piastri (Prema) was truly the only one to offer a bit of spectacle after twenty-one rather boring laps. The Australian in fact remained nestled in the exhausts of Liam Lawson (Hitech) almost the entire race, tried his luck several times and ended up sneaking past at the end of the first DRS zone after putting the driver to sleep Red Bull.

He finished 4th and scored ten new points thanks once again to the two best lap points in the race. On pole Sunday morning for the main race, the protégé ofAlpine will have a new opportunity to drive the point home and increase its lead at the top of the championship. 

Exited three times in the morning during race 1, the safety car made two new escapades in the afternoon. First in the first lap, after a big crash between Ralph Boschung (Campos) and Alessio Deledda (HWA Racelab), the Swiss having dragged the Italian into his fall. Then in the 7th loop, when Jehan Daruvala (Carlin) lost the back of his car in the third sector and out came poor Bent Viscaal (Trident) who hadn’t asked for anything.