The second weekend of the Formula 2 weekend took place in Monaco, and here is a round up of what happened.
Sprint Race 1
Guanyu Zhou strengthened his early lead of the Drivers’ Championship in Sprint Race 1 at Monte Carlo, surviving a late Safety Car to win at a canter over Felipe Drugovich. The UNI-Virtuosi racer led from lights-to-flag, with the Brazilian claiming P2 after Christian Lundgaard was forced to retire from second with mechanical issues.
Roy Nissany said Monaco is all about “the mental game,” in the lead-up to the race, and the DAMS’ racer played it well, holding off Campos’ Ralph Boschung for a first Formula 2 podium. It was a rather calm affair around the streets of Monte Carlo, with Jüri Vips coming out on top of a race-long battle with Dan Ticktum for fifth. While Théo Pourchaire continued his hot form in Round 2, making up three places to seventh, ahead of PREMA Racing’s Oscar Piastri.
Sprint Race 2
Dan Ticktum took his first win of the 2021 season, after initial winner Liam Lawson was disqualified after the race.
Jumped by Oscar Piastri off the line, Lawson marshalled the wet conditions expertly, reclaiming the lead five laps in and controlling the rest of the race. Piastri dropped down to third behind Ticktum, with the two-time Macau Grand Prix winner utilizing his street-race experience to pick off the PREMA and hunt down the Hitech. But Lawson refused to surrender, keeping the Briton at bay during a tumultuous middle part of the race, before going on to finish 8 seconds ahead.
A late two-and-throw with Piastri came to nothing for Juri Vips, who crossed the chequered flag in fourth, ahead of Théo Pourchaire. Ralph Boschung managed to hold off MP Motorsport duo Richard Verschoor and Lirim Zendeli for sixth. After a one-two in Sprint Race 1, UNI-Virtuosi pair Guanyu Zhou and Felipe Drugovich slumped to 16th and 15th.
Lawson's disqualification came about because drivers are required to use a defined throttle pedal progressivity map programmed in position 1 of the steering wheel throttle map rotary knob during all formation lap starts and race starts until the car speed reaches 50kph. Following an investigation after the race, the Stewards found that Lawson used a different throttle map at the race start, a breach of Technical Regulations, Article 3.6.5.
Feature Race
ART Grand Prix rookie Théo Pourchaire made history in the Formula 2 Feature Race at Monte Carlo, converting pole to victory around the famed street track to become the Championship’s youngest ever victor at just 17-years-old, ahead of PREMA Racing’s fellow rookie Oscar Piastri. Despite considering Monaco a home race, the Frenchman - who only lives 45 minutes away from the circuit - had never previously raced at the Principality.
And the ART Grand Prix racer made it a debut to savour, becoming the second tier’s youngest polesitter on Thursday, before replacing Lando Norris as the youngest winner on Sunday. It was a dominant victory to boot, with the Sauber junior looking almost entirely untroubled throughout the 42-lap race, holding off his former Formula 3 rival, Piastri.
UNI-Virtuosi’s Felipe Drugovich made the alternate strategy work from ninth to finish third and score his second podium of the weekend, ahead of Robert Shwarztman, who recovered from a slow pitstop to take P4. Championship leader Guanyu Zhou pitted as late as Lap 37, overcutting his rivals to rise to fifth at the flag, after starting from 10th.