Photo: Red Bull
The Formula 2 sprint race at Zandvoort was called off without a full lap of racing being completed after a big crash was followed by worsening wet conditions.
Jak Crawford, Kush Maini and Ralph Boschung could all get out of their cars unaided following the accident at the start of the race, but repairs to circuit infrastructure were required and the rain had intensified by the time a restart was possible, leading soon to a second red flag.
Rain prior to the race meant two laps behind the safety car were required before the field could be released. Championship leader Theo Pourchaire should have been at the front of the queue on reversed-grid pole, but had to start from the pitlane after requiring work at the right-rear of his car.
Isack Hadjar therefore led Victor Martins when the race began, with Ollie Bearman immediately taking third place from Juan Manuel Correa.
Behind, Friday’s qualifying pacesetter Crawford and Maini came out of Turn 3 running side-by-side into the following high-speed sweepers. The two made contact going into Turn 5, which sent Crawford into a spin while Maini ran briefly off track before rejoining.
In the heavy spray, Maini was then hit by Ralph Boschung, pushing his car on top of his Campos Racing team-mate’s as they crashed into the barriers – damaging a trackside light panel in the process.
Around 25 minutes elapsed before the race was restarted behind the safety car with just 22 minutes left on the clock – with only an hour to go before the scheduled start of Formula 1 qualifying.
But with the rain having also resumed, conditions were worse than at the original start and the race was red-flagged once more, to not be resumed. No points will be awarded.