Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
A soft tyre that lasted longer than expected on a boiling hot Barcelona circuit was key to the unlikely result in the Formula 2 sprint race.
Only the top three runners from the first part of the race managed to hold on and score points without pitting for soft tyres under a late safety car. DAMS’ Jak Crawford was fourth, while Hitech’s Luke Browning and Invicta Racing’s Leonardo Fornaroli took the chequered flag in seventh and eighth place respectively.
A window of opportunity opened on lap 18 of 26 when the safety car was deployed. Richard Verschoor, who was running in eighth place, was first of the drivers who pitted, and eventually claimed the victory.
“The team did the right call,” the MP Motorsport driver said in the press conference after the race. “They told me very confidently to box. I followed what they told me, and in the end we had a great race.”
In conversation with Formula Scout in the paddock later on, MP’s team manager Jeremy Coterill emphasised the importance of reacting to what actually happens during the race even though the team has certain pre-set decisions, and that the driver plays an important role in making the strategy work.
Verschoor rejoined the track down in 10th place, but three laps after the restart he was already first. The pace difference between the soft and the hard compound was an unknown for the Dutchman, who didn’t believe the win was possible.
“I didn’t know it was going to be big for like all the laps we did. So it’s six, I guess. So the gaps were just, I mean the grip difference was just insane. And I think it was a lot more than many people expected. That’s also why I think the top seven didn’t box.”
Alex Dunne followed Verschoor across the line to finish second, allowing him to recover from 19th on the grid.
“If you look at the end of the race, like the tyre difference was insane. I haven’t been in that situation before,” Dunne said. The Rodin Motorsport driver “was pretty surprised at the delta” that allowed him to finish second instead of just picking up “some points” as he was aiming for when he came out of the pits.
Drivers agreed that the really high track temperature of 49ºC helped their pit-stops pay off.
“Like in Bahrain, we’ve seen when it’s quite hot, then the hards start to struggle quite a bit,” explained Rafael Villagomez, who came from the back of the grid to claim his maiden series podium in third place.
“Today the delta difference was pretty big. Also because you’re going at the end of the race, so if you put on a fresh set of softs with a lighter car, then you’re going to get something like this.”