Iwasa triumphs and takes the lead in the championship, opposite destinies for the French

La F2 has its new leader and his name is Ayumu Iwasa. Starting from pole position this Sunday, the DAMS driver mastered his subject on Australian soil where he emerged victorious in the Main Race, his second victory of the season after the Sprint Race in Saudi Arabia a fortnight ago.

Overall, the Japanese had a relatively calm outing but the Safety Car caused by the accidents of Roy Nissany (PHM Racing) and Enzo Fittipaldi (Carlin) 8 laps from the finish almost cost him dearly. The peloton regrouped while it was quietly heading towards victory, Ayumu Iwasa had to restart the pack one last time for three short laps.

A task carried out to perfection by the protégé of Red Bull who has never been worried by Theo Pourchaire (ART Grand Prix), a little too short to bother him in this final sprint. With this second success of the year, Ayumu Iwasa carried out the great operation of the weekend since he took control of the general classification with 58 points, 8 more than Théo Pourchaire. With the 3^e place of Arthur Leclerc, DAMS offered itself a first double podium since the last round in Abu Dhabi in 2019 and Nicholas latifi and Sérgio Sette Câmara in the Sprint Race.

Martins at fault, Hadjar penalized

If Théo Pourchaire was able to represent France on the podium, this was not the case for Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix) and Isack Hadkar (Hitech GP). However, their 3^e and 4^e Positions on the grid allowed them to fight for a final place on the box. Ultimately, things did not go as planned for the two Habs.

Fourth at the time of the final restart, Victor Martins missed at turn 15 and hit Dennis Hauger (MP Motorsport) in front of him. His hopes of a podium were over as he went straight onto the grass before finishing 16^e. In three Main Races, the protégé ofAlpine still hasn't scored a single point.

For Isack Hadjar, the race suddenly turned sour. However, the member of the Red Bull Junior Team was in contention for a Top 3 but a series of bad circumstances cost him his first podium in F2. After contact with Ollie Bearman (Prema) in the pit lane, the Hitech GP driver was hit by Roy Nissany losing many places. A scene which still cost him a 10-second penalty for having returned to the track dangerously according to the race direction... Back in the points, this sanction dropped him to 17^e rank.

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