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F2 Austria: Slick gamble gives Verschoor maiden feature race win

Richard Verschoor dominated the FIA Formula 2 feature race in Austria, taking a risky tyre gamble to snatch the lead before crossing the line 13 seconds ahead.

Richard Verschoor, Trident on the podium

Richard Verschoor, Trident on the podium

Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

The Trident driver started the race in eighth as the highest on the grid to use slick tyres, with the top seven taking the wet compound on the damp track.

But a rapidly drying Red Bull Ring saw the top seven plummet down the order and the Dutch driver charged from eighth into the lead in just four corners on lap six.

He then flew off into the distance, building a huge lead to cross the line 10.7s ahead of Roberto Merhi, who was demoted to fifth after a track limits penalty.

Jehan Daruvala, who was running second until he was passed by Merhi on the penultimate lap, inherited second, having started 11th. Logan Sargeant was promoted to third, having crossed the line in fourth.

Hitech’s Juri Vips passed Frederik Vesti for the lead off the line, with the polesitter struggling to get away and briefly losing second to Ayumu Iwasa. Behind the DAMS driver, Jack Doohan gained two places to run fourth ahead of Sargeant and Theo Pourchaire.

Sargeant soon took fourth into Turn 10 from Doohan, while further back Cem Bolukbasi and Liam Lawson made contact, damaging the former’s front wing.

The safety car was deployed on lap two after sprint race winner Marcus Armstrong made contact with Daruvala, the New Zealander spinning into retirement at Turn 1.

Pourchaire passed Doohan when racing resumed a few laps later, but chaos ensued on lap six as those running on wets saw their tyres drop off a cliff and plummet down the order. Championship leader Felipe Drugovich fell to 19th, while Doohan and Pourchaire were 18th and 16th respectively.

Jehan Daruvala, Prema Racing

Jehan Daruvala, Prema Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Verschoor seized the opportunity and used his dry tyre advantage to sweep past the seven cars ahead in just four corners and took the lead as the wet tyre runners tried to find wet spots to keep their tyres alive. Daruvala followed him through, having followed the same strategy of starting on slicks.

Most of those who had started on wets pitted on lap seven, with Verschoor and Daruvala running ahead of Iwasa and Sargeant - the Williams junior passing his Red Bull counterpart at Turn 1 on lap nine.

Verschoor had stretched his lead over Daruvala to five seconds by lap 11, with the Indian pitting two laps later. He was followed in by Merhi, Dennis Hauger and Enzo Fittipaldi.

Several track limits penalties came late in the race, with Doohan first to be hit with a five-second penalty. He was then handed a 10s penalty, with Vesti also penalised.

Sargeant and Fittipaldi scrapped over fourth into the late stages, while further ahead, Verschoor built up a seven second lead by lap 33.

Merhi took second from Daruvala on the penultimate lap, but was relegated by his track limits penalty and finished fifth, while Lawson and Vesti were then hit with 10 second penalties.

Fittipaldi took fourth, with Hauger and VAR’s Jake Hughes in sixth and seventh respectively. Olli Caldwell took eighth for his first points finish of the season, with Iwasa and Vips rounding off the top 10.

Drugovich only managed 13th after his earlier problem, but main title rival Pourchaire also failed to score in 14th - one place ahead of polesitting team-mate Vesti.

F2 Austria: Full feature race results

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