Zandvoort thrills and spills: F2 Weekend Wrap-Up

29 August 2023

A weekend full of surprises, nobody could quite believe what they were seeing on Sunday as the Championship contenders fell by the wayside. It left Clément Novalak as the driver to pick up the pieces expertly, achieving his maiden win in Formula 2 with a well-earned victory.

Who has to make up for lost opportunities at Monza and who will be looking to build on their weekend from last time out?

NO POINTS LOST

It was going so well right up to the point it wasn’t. Théo Pourchaire emerged from the pitstops with the lead of the Zandvoort Feature Race intact but there was no time for celebration. Barely one sector later it had all gone wrong, the Frenchman coming off the road at Turn 7 and crashing out of the lead and with it, handing all of the initiative over to Frederik Vesti and PREMA Racing. Fortunately for the ART Grand Prix driver, PREMA endured their own miserable day and Vesti left Zandvoort the same 12 points back from Pourchaire as the pair entered the Round.

Teammate Victor Martins was the only driver to secure points in the top five in the Championship, though a marginal two-point gain is hardly what he’d have envisaged. ART was lucky that in their worst Feature Race performance since Jeddah, PREMA were unable to capitalise. Onwards to Monza then and we can expect more of the unpredictable.

MISSED OPPORTUNITY

It began to unravel at the very first corner of Sunday’s race. Vesti had a great chance to close the gap to Pourchaire but a spin immediately at Turn 1 allowed the Frenchman to steal the advantage, albeit temporarily. From there, PREMA was able to get their driver back into contention with a tidy double stack just prior to the Safety Car being deployed. Soon after, the wheels fell off Vesti’s car and comeback, while teammate Oliver Bearman had looked like salvaging a strong result until contact with Martins ended his day also.

It is now a 32-point gap between PREMA and ART in the Teams’ Standings, two points further away than they had been prior to Zandvoort. But there is hope. Last year Jehan Daruvala was victorious for the team in the Feature Race, closely run by then-ART driver Vesti, who ended up second having started from P10. So, the Dane knows how to stay clear of trouble at Monza, a tough task in itself. The team has tasted recent success there so know how to be quick. It might be their most important home event in some time.

ALMOST FOR ZANE

One of only three teams to score points with both cars in the Feature Race, Rodin Carlin were contenders for victory though had to settle for second and seventh in the end. Zane Maloney drove a strong race from fourth on the grid, battling with polesitter Jak Crawford throughout, but he didn’t quite have enough to overhaul Novalak for victory. Enzo Fittipaldi moved himself up to P6 in the Drivers’ Championship with his third points finish in the Feature in the past four events. The Brazilian is now on 104 points, moving two ahead of Bearman with just four races and two Rounds to go.

Rodin Carlin were hoping that their strong weekend at Spa-Francorchamps prior to the summer break would be a turning point in their season. Both drivers looked competitive in Zandvoort and Maloney’s P4 in Qualifying a demonstration of strong one lap speed. If they can keep out of trouble at Monza, maximise the tow and drive a smart race once again, both are in a good position to score well once again.

A MESSY WEEKEND ON BOTH FRONTS

A scrappy weekend for the usually measured Ayumu Iwasa meant he too left Zandvoort with the same number of points he arrived with. The Red Bull Junior Team driver was a bit too hasty in his efforts to undo the damage of a poor Qualifying that meant he started from P12 in the Feature Race. Getting onto the wet section of the track down the inside at Turn 1, he couldn’t prevent a slide into Kush Maini and the subsequent time penalty only rubbed salt in the wound.

Arthur Leclerc’s misfortune continued also, unable to get a clean Qualifying due to an issue on his DAMS car. He has been scoreless since Silverstone’s Feature Race, a very unwanted record. A slow pitstop in the Feature Race hindered any chances of a comeback, and he too was left to rue what might have been. Still on 173 points, DAMS will have eyes on retaking third position in the Teams’ Standings from Rodin Carlin and an immediate return to form around Monza would be hugely beneficial to their chances of closing the 27-point gap.

DISAPPOINTMENT FOR DENNIS

A top five finish was little comfort to Dennis Hauger after the Norwegian driver had hopes of victory going into Sunday’s Feature Race. The MP Motorsport man had achieved a front row start but Red Flags in Qualifying prevented a lap good enough to take the top spot just a matter of metres from the line. Still, the team’s strong pace put him in the position to challenge for victory. The timing of the Safety Car couldn’t have been worse for Hauger, and he lost out to the likes of Novalak and Richard Verschoor. Contact with Isack Hadjar didn’t help his race either, and an eventual P5 felt like a disappointment at this point in the year.

Jehan Daruvala was out of the points in both races and cut a dejected figure watching the action from a camping chair. Memories of 12 months ago won’t be far away as we move on to Monza and the scene of the Indian driver’s last victory in Formula 2. A venue he has achieved numerous podiums around throughout his career, Daruvala knows what it takes to be quick on the famous Italian circuit so could bounce back immediately.

UNCHARACTERISTIC ERROR

Of all the drivers to suffer a disappointing weekend at Zandvoort, Jack Doohan might be the one ruing what could’ve been the most. The Australian arrived at the Dutch circuit riding a wave of momentum courtesy of back-to-back wins prior to the summer break. Unfortunate Red Flag timing denied him a shot at pole in Qualifying and the rained-out Sprint left no points on offer.

Come Sunday things only got worse. Spinning on the banking entering the first racing lap was hardly what he needed and instead he was forced to watch from the sidelines. Luckily, none of his rivals ahead opened up any kind of points gap, but what was a potential Championship comeback now looks to be mission impossible.

On the other side of the Invicta Virtuosi Racing garage, Amaury Cordeel returned to the points and once again, the summer break looks to have done the Belgian driver a world of good. Just like in 2022, he maximised what he had available to him and secured a solid points finish at Zandvoort in P8. More points followed in ’22 also at Monza and Yas Marina. The goal then for Cordeel is clear.

POINTS AT HOME

It was a solid weekend haul for Van Amersfoort Racing at the team’s and Verschoor’s home event. The Dutch driver went on to finish P4 in the Feature Race, keeping himself out of trouble and making the most of the opportunities as they came to take fourth. Teammate Juan Manuel Correa had started further forward but was awarded a time penalty for opening lap contact with Bearman. Still, he rebounded and secured a P10 finish to help VAR achieve points with both drivers.

There is a feeling of what might’ve been though, particularly from Correa’s side of the garage. He was looking in great shape having started nearer the front, and with the various issues for rivals around him, he may well have been a podium contender had it not been for the Lap 1 contact with the PREMA of Bearman. For Verschoor, he has picked up right where he left off in terms of scoring in the Feature Races. Silverstone remains the sole blip in his campaign so far.

BITTERSWEET

He is already an F2 race winner but Jak Crawford left Zandvoort without a maiden Feature Race victory having started Sunday’s event from pole position. It was unfortunate for the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver, who arguably enjoyed his best race weekend in the Championship to date, competitive from the outset and fighting at the front. Around one of his favoured venues, Crawford looked to be in great form and there is hope within the team that he can carry that momentum onto Monza.

Likewise, Isack Hadjar secured P1 in the halted Sprint Race and was back in the points come Sunday. While the Frenchman would have enjoyed a weekend like his teammate’s, it was a positive weekend for him and the team overall. While Monza didn’t go to plan last year in Formula 3, Hadjar has a wealth of experience to rely on now and is on the up in F2.

A TOUGH TIME

After the bright spot that was Spa-Francorchamps, the Campos Racing duo couldn’t replicate their point-scoring weekend and instead were out in the early stages of the Sprint Race after contact. Both were fortunately ok, but Sunday wasn’t much better. Kush Maini was forced to limp around the circuit after contact with Iwasa at Turn 1. The Indian driver ended up finishing 18th after all of the drama while Ralph Boschung was 16th on a difficult day for the team. It means the Spanish outfit has been overtaken by Hitech Pulse-Eight in the Teams’ Standings, now down to ninth on 91 points.

A WINNER AT LAST

It has taken a while for things to click for Clément Novalak in Formula 2, but the Frenchman is finally a Feature Race winner. He drove a measured race and controlled things from the front after taking the lead following the Safety Car and had more than enough in reserve to keep his closest pursuers at bay. It is Trident’s first F2 Feature victory in the Championship also and a thoroughly deserved reward for their efforts. A fastest lap point alongside the 25 for the win is just the cherry on top. Roman Stanek just missed out on the points finishing the Feature Race 11th for the team, but it’s all eyes on Monza for the team’s home event next weekend now.

TAKING THE POSITIVES

Roy Nissany was in the battle for points on Sunday but couldn’t quite grab PHM Racing by Charouz’s maiden score in the Championship. Joshua Mason kept himself out of trouble in just his second F2 event in his career. It was a solid effort from both on a day in which plenty of other teams and drivers fell by the wayside. The team has two more Rounds to try and achieve its first points and around Monza, anything can happen.