Dufek takes first Euroformula win in photo finish

Photo: Fotospeedy

Joshua Dufek claimed his first Euroformula victory in a photo finish at Monza, winning by 0.046 seconds.

Francesco Simonazzi started on reversed-grid pole, and covered the inside line as the field headed to turn one for the first time. Bryce Aron passed Cian Shields and then went right around the outside of Simonazzi at turn one to take the lead.

Simonazzi briefly got back ahead at the della Roggia chicane but an awful exit dropped him back behind, and he was then passed by Dufek going into the Ascari chicane.

Shields and Charlie Wurz passed Simonazzi on lap two, then on lap three Wurz and Simonazzi passed Shields. The next lap Shields got back past at turn one, and Leon passed Simonazzi at the della Roggia chicane just as Dufek got by Aron for the lead.

Aron lost two more places on lap five, losing out to a great pass by Wurz through the Lesmos and then being overtaken by Leon at Ascari. That pair made up more ground on the next lap, with Wurz going around the outside of Dufek at della Roggia to lead but then being passed by Leon for the lead at Parabolica.

Wurz reclaimed the lead at turn two on lap seven, but then had contact with Shields going into Lesmo 1. Shields was sent careering into the barriers, while Wurz went one corner further before he also went off into the gravel. The safety car came out, with Leon leading Dufek, Simonazzi, Levente Revesz and Aron.

Racing resumed on lap 10 of 16 and Leon raced away while drivers went three-wide behind. Revesz jumped up to second, and Simonazzi was down to fifth by Lesmo 2. The order then went unchanged until lap 12, when Simonazzi took fourth from Aron, then on lap 13 Dufek took the lead from Leon at the opening chicane.

He held off the quartet behind until the last lap, as Leon sneaked down the inside of Dufek at Curva Grande. Dufek reclaimed first place through the della Roggia chicane, then at Parabolica he had Leon coming on the inside and then the outside of him.

Once they exited the corner they were side-by-side, with Leon back on the inside, and Simonazzi and Revesz behind were side-by-side too after Simonazzi had picked the outside line for Parabolica.

The top four places were decided in photo finishes, with Dufek winning by 0.046s and Revesz pipping Simonazzi to third by 0.034s. Aron was only a further 0.049s behind in fifth.

Race result (16 laps)