The Formula 2 Sprint Race in Barcelona offered a spectacle full of twists and turns, daring strategies and heated battles until the last corner. Richard Verschoor triumphed at the end of a crazy race, marked by a safety car and a waltz of pit stops that completely upset the classification in the final laps.
Hot start and first twists and turns
The premises were clear: 26 laps, no mandatory pit stop, and rising temperatures with hard tyre management as a key factor.
The race took place in early June, not May, adding extra stress on tyres due to higher air and track temperatures.
The start was chaotic. Yellow flag before mid-lap one. Bennett retired immediately after contact. Fornaroli lost the lead right away.
Browning and Crawford had a lightning start, helped by great setup work from their engineers.
Crawford challenged Browning in an intense wheel-to-wheel battle on lap 4.
He passed him and took the race lead before the end of that lap.
Staněk jumped into fourth position after a quick start.
Verschoor had a slow getaway, losing multiple places.
Staněk’s progress didn’t last: he dropped to seventh after tough mid-pack fights.
Martins had another nightmare start, running wide into the gravel.
He fell to the back of the grid after the off-track moment.
Tyre management and race stabilising
After a few laps, the race settled into a steady rhythm.
Miyata began chasing Maini for position. Lindblad struggled to match Staněk’s pace ahead of him.
Most drivers seemed to wait for the right moment to attack.
Tyre degradation started to influence the race from the early stages. Staying too close in medium-fast corners caused graining issues. Despite front wing damage, Minì kept lapping with competitive times.
Around lap 13, Minì looked ready to attack. But it was Crawford who upped the pace and tried to escape.
Contact, penalties and safety car: the race turns
Lap 14 saw a contact between Lindblad and Verschoor, with the Englishman ending up off the track and returning to the race with a visibly degraded front left tyre. The investigation is postponed until after the race, but the penalty could cost him dearly ahead of the Feature Race, where he will start from pole.
Shortly afterwards, disaster in the Prema house: on lap 18 Minì attempted an outside overtaking move on Montoya in turn 1, but the two touch and both end up outside. The dynamics recalled a similar episode between the same protagonists in 2024, again at Barcelona in F3.
The incident lead to the entry of the safety car, and here the race is decided: several drivers, including Verschoor, Dunne, Meguetounif and Martins, return to the pits to mount soft tyres. A choice that will prove to be a winning one.
Thrilling finale: comeback on soft tyres
The last five laps were a total assault. The differences in pace between those on new tyres and those not wereabysmal, even more than a second a lap. Dunne, who had started 19th, climbed the classification up to second place with an amazing performance, also signing the fastest lap.
Verschoor, unleashed, first overtook Fornaroli, then Crawford, and finally took the lead with a decisive overtaking move. Despite a potential pending penalty, the Dutchman coolly handled and won the race, his seventh victory in F2, the last dating back to the feature race in Jeddah.
Top 8
Richard Verschoor
Alex Dunne
Rafael Villagomez
Jack Crawford
Sebastián Montoya
Victor Martins
Luke Browning
Leonardo Fornaroli