Formula 2 News: American Crawford wins Barcelona feature race

American Jak Crawford claimed his second FIA Formula 2 victory to become the 10th different winner of the 2024 season. The DAMS Lucas Oil prevailed in the strategy battle and drove into the distance for his Barcelona Feature triumph.

Franco Colapinto secured P2 for MP Motorsport with his first Feature Race podium, while Juan Manuel Correa fought his way back onto the podium on the alternative strategy to secure third.

AS IT HAPPENED

Pole sitter Paul Aron got the perfect launch to lead into Turn 1 ahead of Crawford and Colapinto. Further back, contact sent Victor Martins and Dennis Hauger spinning into the gravel at Turn 2 leaving both out of the race.

Isack Hadjar was the biggest winner, moving up from 11th to fifth in the opening half lap prior to the Safety Car deployed for Hauger and Martins’ incident, with both drivers OK but their cars in need of recovering.

Racing resumed on Lap 4 and Aron retained the lead, escaping over a second clear to move out of DRS range to Crawford behind.

Lap 8 and the Hard compound runners began to benefit over those on Softs, with Joshua Duerksen taking fifth from Hadjar into Turn 1 as the highest-placed driver in the white-walled tires.

Crawford was in from second at the end of the lap, with Ritomo Miyata and Zak O’Sullivan following the DAMS driver in from inside the top 10 to fit the Hard tires.

Enzo Fittipaldi and Rodin Motorsport’s Zane Maloney were next in on Lap 9, but a slow getaway for the Van Amersfoort Racing driver allowed the Bajan to leapfrog him in the pitlane exit. That was compounded as Rodin teammate Miyata passed Fittipaldi with his tires up to temperature.

Gabriel Bortoleto pitted on Lap 11 for Invicta Racing, filtering back out in P14 behind Crawford but with warm tires, O’Sullivan was able to pass him on the outlap to take the position.

Leader Aron was called into the pits and Colapinto followed him in on Lap 12. The Hitech rejoined ahead of Crawford but with the DAMS driver on his rear wing. Through Turn 3, the American driver took ninth from Aron, while Colapinto retained position over Bortoleto.

Lap 13 and the Brazilian was in the slipstream and passed the MP Motorsport driver into Turn 1, just prior to a Virtual Safety Car for the stationary AIX Racing car of Taylor Barnard at the pitlane entry. With his car cleared, racing resumed entering Lap 14.

Closing to within half a second of Crawford, Aron looked to be shaping up for a move but going onto Lap 16, he slid off the road after a snap of oversteer at the final corner. He rejoined in 11th, dropping three spots to Bortoleto, Colapinto and O’Sullivan. Title rival Hadjar meanwhile moved ahead of Maloney into 13th to put the Hitech driver within his sights.

Duerksen had been the leader and yet to pit on the alternative strategy but on Lap 18, he slowed to a half in the middle sector to bring out another Virtual Safety Car. His stoppage handed the lead over to Juan Manuel Correa, also yet to pit on the Hard Pirellis.

With the AIX cleared, racing resumed on Lap 20 and Colapinto put Bortoleto under immediate pressure, with the Invicta driver getting his elbows out to keep the place. Just behind them, Aron got the slipstream to take 10th from O’Sullivan at Turn 2. One lap later and Hadjar eased by the ART Grand Prix driver at Turn 1 to move himself up another position.

Colapinto had DRS on Bortoleto and on Lap 23, he moved ahead to take seventh at Turn 1.

With 10 laps to go, Correa pitted from the race lead for the Soft compound tires, filtering back out onto track in P9 just as Aron made a brave dive on Bortoleto into Turn 1 to take fifth.

As Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Amaury Cordeel pitted for his mandatory stop, Crawford retook the lead with Colapinto his closest rival for the win 3.6s behind in P2.

On his Softs, Correa was making good progress, moving ahead of Maloney for seventh at Turn 5, which became sixth with Andrea Kimi Antonelli making his mandatory stop.

Lap 31 and using a DRS boost, he eased by Hadjar for fifth position with Bortoleto half a second up the road in P4. Three corners later and he was into fourth place with a sizeable grip advantage. He cruised up to Aron and on Lap 33, rounded the Estonian at the first corner to climb into the podium places.

Onto Lap 34 and Hadjar deposed Bortoleto for fifth position while Invicta teammate Kush Maini gained seventh at the expense of Maloney on the run into Turn 1.

The Invicta teammates were nose-to-tail on the final lap and going wheel-to-wheel into the first corner collided with one another, leaving Bortoleto with front wing damage and Maini ahead in sixth.

Crawford was entirely untroubled though, taking his second Formula 2 race victory ahead of Colapinto and a resurgent Correa.

Aron came across the line in fourth to retain his Championship lead over fifth-place driver Hadjar. Maini led Bortoleto across the line in sixth and seventh respectively, with Maloney, Cordeel and home favorite Josep María Martí rounding out the points for Campos Racing.

KEY QUOTE – Jak Crawford, DAMS Lucas Oil

“We just won the Feature Race and it’s a huge result for DAMS. We did a really risky strategy and it paid off in the end. I’m so happy for the team and JM, it’s a good result for everyone.”

THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Paul Aron’s scoring finish keeps him ahead of Isack Hadjar, with 100 points to the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver’s tally versus 91 for the Campos Racing driver. Zane Maloney remains in third on 73 points, with Jak Crawford’s victory lifting him up to fourth on 62. Gabriel Bortoleto rounds out the top five with 60 points.

It’s tight in the Teams’ Standings as Campos Racing lead Hitech Pulse-Eight by just two points, the Spanish team on 119 to 117. MP Motorsport are five points further back with 112, while Invicta are fourth on 110. Rodin Motorsport are fifth on 92, level on points with DAMS Lucas Oil.

Feature Race Results – 37 Laps