Antonelli claims maiden FIA Formula 2 win
Kimi Antonelli delivered his first FIA Formula 2 win today at Silverstone, the second for PREMA Racing this season, as the British weekend of the series went underway in treacherous weather with the Sprint Race.
Antonelli started from the front of the reverse grid and stayed in control of the race on the wet as the condition quickly worsened. The standing water and aquaplaning concerns, together with multiple offs, forced race control to red-flag the action, but even when racing resumed and the Safety Car situations piled up, Antonelli was always able to make brilliant restarts and open up a gap every time. In the end, he maximized the advantage of running in clean air and crossed the finish line 8.6 seconds ahead of his closest follower.
Unfortunately, Ollie Bearman had a more complicated day. The British driver had a good start, but was involved in a contact with another competitor while battling for P4 and picked up front wing damage. The red flag allowed the team to replace the broken wing, and he was sitting in the top 10 when an off dropped him back. Then, an engine issue eventually forced him to stop for good.
He will have the chance to turn his home weekend around tomorrow starting from P5 in the Feature Race.
#3 - Ollie Bearman
"A tough race in the end. I made a mistake then I lost the engine again. It has been a very difficult few races, so I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
#4 - Kimi Antonelli
"Super happy with this result, I really needed it. It's the first win in FIA Formula 2, and it's a really special one because, with the changing conditions, it was really challenging to adapt. I think we managed everything well and I'm delighted to take home victory. We had a lot of restarts, so I tried to change my strategy every time to surprise my competitors. The team gave me a great car, and this is just the beginning. I need to work on a few things about myself, and we are trying to improve the car even more. We didn't have the ideal start to the season, but we have been improving throughout the year. From Red Bull Ring, we made a big step, especially on race pace, and we keep moving forward."