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Latifi opens the season with a success, Hubert at the foot of the podium

Nicholas Latifi won the Formula 2 Long Race in Bahrain while Anthoine Hubert made a very promising start by moving up from 11th to 4th place.

Published on 30/03/2019 à 12:25

Medhi Casaurang

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Latifi opens the season with a success, Hubert at the foot of the podium

Nicholas latifi (Dams) could not have started its fourth full campaign better Formula 2. The 23-year-old Canadian won the Long Race at the Bahrain meeting on Saturday March 30, and becomes the first leader of the 2019 general classification.

Starting fourth, the Montreal native almost lost his chances of victory during the obligatory pit stop. The mechanics lost time changing the right rear wheel. Left off the virtual podium, the reserve driver Williams then made an effective comeback to first place. 

Pole sitter Luca Ghiotto (UNI-Virtuosi) completely miscalculated when it came to putting out the lights. Having fallen to seventh on the first braking, the Italian caught up thanks to a delayed pit-stop. This tactic allowed him to easily overtake several drivers at the end of the effort, up to second place.

The Dams team completes the podium with the result of Sergio Sette Camara. In the lead for a considerable number of laps, Nyck de Vries (ART Grand Prix) weakened as his tires deteriorated (6th). 

The best beginner in this race is the Frenchman Anthoine Hubert (Arden). The outgoing GP3 Series champion wanted to score a few points from a start in 11th position, but the Habs did much better. While his teammate Tatiana Calderon fought in the second half of the table, the Lyonnais led a flawless race.

 

Seventh after one lap, he came out waiting until the wave of pit stops. Then, its soft tires allowed it to overtake much more experienced drivers. Anthoine Hubert finished just off the podium, making the biggest comeback in the peloton.

The other rookie to watch, Mick Schumacher (Prema) showed finesse by stealing eighth position in the last hectometers to the detriment of the returning Nobuharu Matsushita (Carlin). The German will start from pole during the Sprint Race following the reverse grid principle on Sunday morning. 

Giuliano Alesi (Trident) and Dorian Boccolacci (MP Motorsport) finish out of points, respectively 12th and 15th. The only retirement is to the credit of Sean Gelael (Prema), following a blocked DRS. 

Medhi Casaurang

Passionate about the history of motorsport across all disciplines, I learned to read thanks to AUTOhebdo. At least that's what my parents tell everyone when they see my name inside!

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