Pourchaire wins eventful first race at Monza

He warned everyone on the sidelines of the weekend: the Monza and Sochi meetings will be decisive for his future and the prospect of winning the coveted second seat at Alfa Romeo in 2022. And the least we can say is that Theo Pourchaire took this weekend in the right direction, without distorting itself. The Frenchman has indeed established himself in the temple of speed and won the second victory of his career in Formula 2, after the main race in Monaco. 

Starting from 4th position, the Habs managed an almost perfect race. First by getting rid of Dan Ticktum (Carlin) at the start of the 2nd lap, forcing the Briton to delay his braking and lock his wheels at the first corner. Unfortunately, the Carlin driver was harpooned by Felipe Drugovich (UNI-Virtuosi) during the maneuver and was forced to retire, but Théo, despite going straight, took 3rd position. At the same place, on the 10th lap, Pourchaire then attacked David Beckmann (Campos), and again forced the German to make a mistake and block wide at the first corner. The Habs only had Jüri Vips (Hitech) in front of him, and wasted no time in attacking after the Safety Car restart (Lap 17). 

Lundgaard's incredible comeback

With the Estonian in the mirrors, the Frenchman just had to escape, with Jüri Vips acting as a bit of a stopper to hold back Guanyu-Zhou two laps behind him. The Chinese carried out a great operation by signing an important second place, which allowed him to reduce the gap with Oscar piastri at the top of the championship. But the performance of the race is to the credit of Christian Lundgaard (ART Grand Prix). Qualified 19th, the Dane managed a superb comeback to finish on the podium, helped by numerous collisions and retirements. While he crossed the line in 4th position, he took advantage of the penalty inflicted on Robert Shwartzman (Prema) to claim a podium that looked like a deliverance. 

Not completely comfortable in this first race, championship leader Oscar Piastri (Prema) still managed to maximize the points by finishing just off the podium. What Jüri Vips was unable to do, only 8th after having led three quarters of the race. Starting from pole in the C1, David Beckmann (Campos) only finished 10th but can console himself by saying that he will start from the top position during race 2, scheduled for this Saturday at 14:45 p.m.