The 2021 Formula 2 season started with a bang as the new weekend format did not disappoint with the quality of action.
There was drama in both sprint races and the feature race so let's review what went on in the desert.
Sprint Race 1
Winning Driver: Liam Lawson
Winning Team: Hitech Grand Prix
Hitech Grand Prix’s Liam Lawson drove like a seasoned pro on his Formula 2 debut, brushing off a stern challenge from second year Jehan Daruvala to take the opening win of season in Sprint Race 1 at Sakhir. Charouz Racing System rookie David Beckmann hung onto third to complete a youthful podium.
Scampering ahead of Théo Pourchaire at the start, Lawson spent the majority of the race in a to-and-fro with his former Formula 3 rival, before seeing the ART Grand Prix driver retire. This handed the Kiwi a more experienced challenger, as Daruvala – up from fifth - lined up behind him. However, the Carlin driver had no answer to his Red Bull academy teammates’ defensive masterclass and was forced to settle for second.
Sprint Race 2
Winning Driver: Oscar Piastri
Winning Team: Prema
Reigning Formula 3 champion Oscar Piastri became the second rookie winner in as many races this season, completing a superb last-lap overtake on UNI-Virtuosi’s Guanyu Zhou, to win a frenetic Sprint Race 2 in Sakhir. The Chinese driver also fell foul to a last gasp move from Christian Lundgaard, dropping to third on an all-Alpine Academy podium.
It initially looked as though Zhou was set to pull off his second win in Formula 2, after boldly starting on softs, before two late Safety Cars turned the race on its head and allowed a number of the field to switch to soft Pirellis themselves. Zhou was then left to struggle to the line on heavily degraded tyres, just about holding on to third.
Feature Race
Winning Driver: Guanyu Zhou
Winning Team: UNI-Virtuosi
UNI-Virtuosi’s Guanyu Zhou used all of his experience to take a hard-earned first Feature Race win from pole in Sakhir, but it wasn’t as simple as lights-to-flag. Initially tumbling down the order at the start, Zhou scythed his way back through the field, beating Carlin’s Dan Ticktum and Hitech Grand Prix’s Liam Lawson.
Starting on the hard tyre, Zhou couldn’t compete with those on the softs around him and fell out of the top 10, before a Safety Car gave the order a shake-up. Ticktum, Lawson and Richard Verschoor all benefitted, but the Chinese driver was imperious and won at a canter. Verschoor – who briefly led the race – finished fourth and just missed out on a podium, after the MP Motorsport driver lost a late battle with tyre degradation.