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Dunne wins at wet Spa to reclaim F2 title lead

Dunne wins at wet Spa to reclaim F2 title lead

Yahooa day ago
Ireland's Alex Dunne has returned to the top of the Formula 2 standings by winning the rain-hit feature race in Belgium.
Dunne had qualified on pole position at Spa-Francorchamps on Friday and the race was started behind the safety car.
However, when racing got underway the McLaren Development Driver mastered the wet conditions to win his third F2 race of the season.
British Red Bull Junior driver Arvid Lindblad was second and Czech driver Roman Stanek was third.
Dunne, 19, now leads the F2 standings by points 15 over Richard Verschoor, who failed to score along with title rival Jak Crawford.
"I had to work really hard for that one," said Dunne.
"It was really tough."
Dunne secures Formula 2 pole position in Belgium
It had been a weekend of dominance for Dunne in Belgium, who topped the practice session and qualified on pole in dry conditions by 0.421 seconds.
He gained two points of Verschoor for pole position and chipped another two points out of the Dutch driver's lead by finishing seventh in the reverse grid sprint race.
Rain hit the Belgian circuit on Sunday morning, to the extent the Formula 3 race had to be cancelled, but conditions cleared up to allow the F2 race to get under way behind the safety car.
Dunne pulled out a four-second lead once racing started and, despite a brief challenge from Japan's Ritomo Miyata, he maintained his lead for the mid-race pit stops.
His Rodin Motorsport team produced a fast pit stop to get him back into the race in fourth place, behind drivers who had yet to stop.
Dunne then produced a stunning overtake around the outside of Pouhon bend past Ollie Goethe to re-take the lead and pulled away from Stanek and Lindblad.
There was a late safety car for Sebastian Montoya, who spun at Eau Rouge with five laps remaining.
The Colombian's car was still being recovered when Goethe's engine expired with two laps to go, which meant race control red flagged the race and Dunne was able to take the chequered flag unchallenged.
It was a third feature win of the season for Dunne in his most complete Formula 2 weekend to date and he was rewarded with the championship lead.
The 11th round of 14 takes place in Hungary next weekend.
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Glorious Goodwood racing tips: Best bets and odds for day one
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Glorious Goodwood racing tips: Best bets and odds for day one

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Learning to Drive Fast Around the Nürburgring, CliffsNotes Edition
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Motor Trend

timean hour ago

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Learning to Drive Fast Around the Nürburgring, CliffsNotes Edition

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Three things we learned from Belgian F1 Grand Prix
Three things we learned from Belgian F1 Grand Prix

Yahoo

timean hour ago

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Three things we learned from Belgian F1 Grand Prix

Drivers and team bosses are divided on the future for wet-weather Formula One racing following an 80-minute rain delay that preceded Oscar Piastri's victory in Belgium on Sunday. While old school racers including multiple champions Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen favoured a prompt start on a tricky circuit, younger drivers and team chiefs preferred to back race director Rui Marques's caution and wait for dry weather. AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from Sunday's race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit: Safety first option sparks lively debate Piastri secured his sixth win of the season, with great aplomb that makes him favourite to beat McLaren team-mate Lando Norris to the drivers' title. The Australian's consistency and mental strength helped him into a 16-point lead after 13 of this year's 24 races, but his drive was overshadowed by post-race arguments about racing in the rain. Ferrari's Hamilton and Red Bull's Verstappen slammed the long delay and choice of rolling start, but others including Mercedes' George Russell and Williams' Carlos Sainz backed the "safety first" decision at a track with a dark history of fatal accidents. "We could've gone miles earlier, an hour earlier," said Verstappen. "It was a shame. It just ruins a nice classic wet race. Either we push to go for a wet race -- or we just stop racing in the wet... and wait for it to be dry. But that's not what you want, right?" Verstappen's car was set up for extreme wet conditions, as forecast, but the decision meant he and others were disadvantaged. He finished fourth. Triumphant McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, celebrating a sixth 1-2 this year, praised the move. "I think the race was managed in a very wise way by the FIA," he said. "We knew there was a lot of rain coming and I think at a circuit like this if you make the calls late, it may be too late -- and the outcome could be difficult." He emphasised the unique risks of the high-speed track through the forested valleys of the Ardennes. "I understand it would be entertaining, but the average speed is so high at Spa that in wet conditions it's impossible to see." New Red Bull chief Laurent Mekies, in his first outing after replacing Christian Horner, said: "I think we were all surprised by how late we started." The former FIA deputy race and safety director added: "Fundamentally, we waited not only for the rain to stop, but also pretty much for the sun to come out -- and then we still had many laps behind the safety car. "I'm sure the FIA had its reasons, but in our case, having based the car towards wet running, it cost us performance, but, it's all part of the game." Red Bull win despite Verstappen losing Verstappen's fourth-placed finish had one upside for Mekies as a performance break clause in his contract lapsed. According to paddock sources, the Dutchman had a right to leave for 2026 if he was outside the top three drivers at the end of July, but his points in Belgium, including a sprint race win on Saturday, mean he cannot be overhauled. Verstappen is third behind the McLaren duo but 28 points ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, whose future was under threat from Verstappen's possible arrival. He cannot catch him even if he wins in Hungary this week. Hamilton eyes turning the corner Hamilton's roller-coaster ride since joining Ferrari continued as he went from 18th, and a pit lane start, to finish seventh. On Saturday, he apologised to Ferrari for his "unacceptable" qualifying while critics noted that, at 40, he was struggling to cope –- two days after revealing he had bombarded senior Ferrari staff with memos for team improvements. After seeing him storm through the field, team chief Fred Vasseur joked Hamilton was now "engineering the car himself", before the Briton revealed he had invited a former Mercedes engineer to join his team. "We'll get stronger together now," he promised. str/pi/mw

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