Lindblad converts pole to first F2 feature race victory in Barcelona

Photo: Red Bull

Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad converted pole position into victory in the Barcelona Formula 2 feature race. 

Lindblad had a comfortable gap to Sebastian Montoya in second place when the safety car was brought out two laps before the chequered flag. The incident could not be cleared in time for a late challenge, leaving Lindblad to take his second win of the season and his first feature race success.

It was a relatively simple race for Campos Racing Lindblad, who started from pole position and was under little pressure throughout the race. Montoya held onto second off the line but couldn’t challenge Lindblad for the race lead. 

Prema driver Montoya tried to get the undercut, pitting two laps before Lindblad, but it was still Lindblad ahead once the pit stop sequence had shaken out.

By the time Lindblad was back in the lead on track, he had a gap of multiple seconds back to Montoya, who himself was under pressure from Richard Verschoor. They were five seconds ahead of the yet-to-pit Dino Beganovic but in the closing stages of the race, those on the alternate strategy began to close in.

Jack Crawford had led the race on track for several laps before coming into the pits. The pit-stop dropped him to the tail-end of the top 10 but he rapidly cut through the order to climb up to fourth. He was closing onto the back of the fight for second when the safety car was called out.

Leonardo Fornaroli had endured a difficult race. The Invicta Racing driver was handed a 10 second stop-go penalty early on for a starting procedure infringement and struggled to regain positions. Having made his mandatory pitstop with just a handful of laps remaining, he soon went off into the gravel. The resulting safety car effectively ended the race.

Montoya managed to hold onto second, ahead of Verschoor and Crawford. Alex Dunne, also on the alternate strategy, climbed up to fifth after a late move past Pepe Marti.

Kush Maini picked up seventh ahead of Victor Martins and Ritomo Miyata, who had an eventful race fighting Luke Browning for position mid-way through the race.

The pair made contact, damaging Browning’s front wing and sending Miyata into the gravel, with Browning also picking up a penalty and finishing last.

Miyata recovered to fight Roman Stanek for 10th. The late pit-stop for Beganovic promoted him to ninth, while Gabriele Mini snatched 10th from Stanek.

Race results (37 laps)