Dufek heads seven-car field in wet Euroformula FP2 at Monza

Photo: Fotospeedy

Joshua Dufek was fastest of just seven drivers in Euroformula’s second practice session at a wet Monza.

Six drivers had got represenative running in during FP1 in the morning, with points leader Noel Leon being the exception, and although they were on a far slower track in the afternoon there was actually more action.

The 40-minute session started with Charlie Wurz laying down a 2m04.695s benchmark and Motopark’s team manager being summoned to race control with immediate effect.

Dufek lowered the pace down to 2m00.458s after improving on his second and third laps, but then had his fastest laptime deleted so a 2m00.543s ended up becoming the benchmark until he improved again to 1m59.269s.

Wurz and Leon joined him in lapping sub-2m01s, while Francesco Simonazzi, Cian Shields and Bryce Aron all broke the 121s barrier 18 minutes in.

By that point Dufek was still on top, and Wurz was second fastest with a 1m59.808s. Simonazzi had set a 2m00.066s to go third fastest, and he then improved to 1m59.406s to snatch second place.

A few minutes later he usurpsed Dufek with a 1m58.923s, and 25 minutes in Wurz reclaimed second by setting a 1m59.231s. He the improved to 1m59.027s, but by that point was down to third again as Leon lowered the pace to 1m58.537s.

Leon grew his advantage at the top on his next lap, setting a 1m58.181s that put him 0.596 seconds ahead of Shields who had jumped up to second place. A lap later and the gap had grown once more, a 1m57.075s being set by Leon with 10 minutes to go while Dufek moved into second place with a 1m58.028s.

Shields improved in third but was now 1.024s off the pace, and when Wurz became Leon’s closest rival with eight minutes of the session remaining he was till 0.921s off the top.

With six-and-a-half minutes to go Shields and then Wurz improved to reduce Leon’s advantage to 0.45s, while Dufek and Simonazzi returned to track after pitting.

They were quickly back on the pace, with Dufek going fastest by 0.383s before Simonazzi jumped up to second with a laptime 0.244s off the new benchmark.

There were still many improvements to come from across the depleted field, with two delivered by Shields but not lifting him from fourth place. Wurz went third fastest with just under two minutes to go by setting a 1m57.050s, and with a minute left Dufek lowered the pace to 1m56.340s.

Simonazzi followed him across the line and was 0.203s off the top, then was shuffled to third as Shields got within 0.164s of Dufek.

Leon improved to 1m56.669s in fourth just before the chequered flag appeared, after which Dufek made a huge time gain and set a 1m55.832s. Simonazzi returned to second place with a 1m56.166s, Shields failed to improve, Wurz went faster than anyone in the middle sector but lost time at the end of the lap to stay fifth and then Leon set a 1m56.024s to end FP2 as Dufek’s closest rival, 0.192s behind.

Free practice 2 results