Vesti keeps F2 title hopes alive with Abu Dhabi sprint race win

Photo: Prema

Prema’s Frederik Vesti came from behind to take his sixth win of the season in Saturday’s sprint race, taking the title battle to the wire at Yas Marina.

Having slipped to fourth during a wild opening-lap battle, Vesti fought back following an early safety car period to pass Rodin Carlin’s Enzo Fittipaldi for the lead with four laps to go, also scoring an extra point by setting the fastest lap among the top 10 finishers.

Vesti’s chief rival Theo Pourchaire climbed from 14th to seventh, the ART Grand Prix driver scoring two points in the process to lead by 16 points heading into Sunday’s deciding feature race.

FIttipaldi lined up from pole but was challenged off the line by Vesti, with the pair going wheel-to-wheel until turn three where the Brazilian driver edged back ahead. Vesti had a look up the inside into turn five and then capitalised on his rival running wide to move in front.

Van Amersfoort Racing’s Richard Verschoor slipstreamed to the outside of Vesti on the following straight, with Fittipaldi squeezing up the inside to make it three-wide before regaining the lead at turn six. 

At the same time Hitech GP’s Isack Hadjar demoted Vesti to fourth, and almost immediately snatched second from Verschoor before challenging fellow Red Bull junior Fittipaldi into turn nine.

The field then slowed due to the safety car being deployed to recover Juan Manuel Correa’s stricken car. Campos Racing’s Kush Maini left the VAR driver without space at turn three and lifted, which resulted in ART GP’s Victor Martins hitting him from behind. Maini was handed a five-second time penalty post-race for the incident, dropping from 11th to 13th place in the final results.

The race resumed on lap six with Vesti quickly reclaiming third from Verschoor at turn six and then resisted a renewed challenge from the Dutchman into the next corner.

After eradicating a one-second deficit to Hadjar by lap 10, Vesti swept around the outside into second. The Mercedes junior halved Fittipaldi’s 2s lead by lap 16 and used his DRS to close to within 0.3s on the following tour.

The gap then ebbed and flowed before a lock-up from Fittipaldi at turn five provided an opportunity for Vesti, who snatched the lead at turn six after lunging up the inside.

He then pulled clear to take a crucial victory by 3.8s, while Verschoor passed Hadjar halfway through the race and finished third. MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger snatched fourth from Hadjar on the final lap, with feature race polesitter Jack Doohan finishing close behind in fifth.

Pourchaire made up five positions to ninth on the opening lap, and later climbed in the points with an overtake on Campos Racing’s Kush Maini. He then gained a further place by pressuring Ayumu Iwasa into a mistake.

Carlin’s Zane Maloney was ninth ahead of Ollie Bearman, who made up seven spots to 10th. Arthur Leclerc finished 18th on the road after stalling on the grid, but was demoted to 21st once a 10-second time penalty was applied for overtaking under safety car.

Race result (23 laps)