Dunne moves into F2 championship lead with Imola feature race win

Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Dunne is the new leader of the Formula 2 championship winning the feature race at Imola.

The McLaren junior took the net lead of the race after he had pitted. A safety car period had brought those on the alternate strategy back within reach of Dunne, and he quickly put those cars between himself and Hitech GP’s Luke Browning who was on the same strategy.

Once everyone had made their compulsory pitstops, Dunne had a comfortable gap to Browning and he was more than six seconds ahead by the finish.

Prema’s Sebastian Montoya and ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins, who qualified second and third, had already exited victory contention when the race began. Montoya did not move away from the grid on the formation lap, and Martins stalled on lap one. That left Invicta Racing’s Leonardo Fornaroli to challenge Hitech’s poleman Dino Beganovic for the lead.

Beganovic held him off without issue through the race’s first half, as Campos Racing’s Arvid Lindblad ran third and fourth-placed Dunne kept DAMS’ Jak Crawford and Browning behind him.

Most of those on the primary strategy pitted on lap seven, including Dunne. Beganovic was delayed by MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe passing his pit box, while Fornaroli had to be held as a train of drivers passed him. That allowed Dunne to pass Fornaroli in the pits and it put him on Beganovic’s tail.

Crawford and Browning pitted on lap eight. Browning emerged just ahead of Beganovic and in the net lead. But with cold tyres he was soon under attack. Beganovic tried a move around the outside, which only forced him wide and allowed Dunne through. Dunne then passed Browning too.

At the front of the field, the yet-to-pit Pepe Marti (Campos) led Joshua Duerksen (AIX Racing). The two were working together to build their gap to those on the primary strategy. That was undone when Van Amersfoort Racing’s Rafael Villagomez made slight contact with Trident’s Sami Meguetounif that sent him into the gravel and retirement.

Duerksen passed Marti just before the safety car appeared, but their 35-second advantage was reduced to nothing. The top six were still yet to pit when racing resumed on lap 19, and Dunne made quick work picking off Trident’s Max Esterson and Rodin team-mate Amaury Cordeel. Browning found a way past Esterson, but Cordeel was a harder driver to pass. 

As Cordeel maintained his defence, Dunne continued to move forwards. On lap 22 of 35 he became the race leader, while Browning was still stuck behind Duerksen, Marti and Invicta’s Roman Stanek. By the time those pitted, Dunne was five seconds clear and Browning could not match the leader’s pace after that.

Beganovic joined his team-mate on the podium, with Lindblad fourth. Fornaroli finished fifth ahead of Crawford, Goethe and a recovering Montoya, who started from the pitlane. MP’s re-race points leader Richard Verschoor came from the back of the field to finish ninth as Meguetounif completed the top 10.

Race results (35 laps)