Richard Verschoor converted reverse-grid pole into his maiden FIA Formula 2 victory in Sprint Race 2 at Silverstone.
The Dutchman dominated the race and was able to lead Marcus Armstrong and Dan Ticktum, who also finished in the same positions as they had started in second and third.
It was fairly clean start for those at the front but a crash on the opening lap involving Alessio Deledda and Ralph Boschung at Aintree saw the Safety Car make an early appearance. Both drivers walked away from the collision unharmed.
Racing got back underway after three tours behind the Safety Car. However, Lap 6 and another collision, this at Stowe corner, as Jehan Daruvala clipped Bent Viscaal’s right-rear tyre.
This sent the Trident into the gravel with broken rear suspension, while the Carlin was able to get back to the pits for a new front wing. Daruvala would later be penalised ten seconds for the collision.
Viscaal’s beached car meant another deployment of the Safety Car with the top ten being Verschoor, Armstrong, Ticktum, Liam Lawson, Oscar Piastri, Juri Vips, Felipe Drugovich, David Beckmann, Robert Shwartzman and Lirim Zendeli.
Four laps remaining and whilst the top three were unchanged, Piastri completed a move on Lawson with DRS to move up to fourth position.
A spin at the end of the penultimate lap at Club corner for Sprint Race 1 winner Shwartzman, who fell from ninth to 15th at the finish.
Verschoor took the chequered flag for MP Motorsport in front of Armstrong and Ticktum.
Piastri was fourth and collecting the two points for the fastest lap.
Lawson was fifth ahead of his Hitech team-mate Vips in sixth. Drugovich and Beckmann picked up the last points in seventh and eighth.
With his title rivals Zhou in 11th and Shwartzman in 15th not scoring, Piastri extends his gap at the top to 12 points.
The Feature Race is still to come on Sunday morning at 10:50 track time to round off the fourth round of this year’s FIA Formula 2 Championship.
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