After taking the lead in Turn 1, it was eyes on the win for Dino Beganovic, who dominated Saturday’s Baku Sprint Race. It was smooth sailing at the front for the Hitech driver, as he finished the race well clear of teammate Luke Browning in second. This not only marked Hitech’s first 1-2 in five years, but a historic first Formula 2 victory for a Swedish driver. Alex Dunne secured the podium too for Rodin Motorsport.
Beganovic Dominates Sprint Race
It was an action-packed start to the race, with polesitter Rafael Villagómez making contact with Campos Racing’s Joseph María Martí, with the latter shortly retiring in the pitlane. German Oliver Goethe also clipped the wall and spun in Turn 2, bringing out an early Safety Car.
Beganovic led the pack with ease and confidently maintained the lead after the end of the Safety Car on Lap 4 ahead of the PREMA Racing of Sebastián Montoya.
Later, Stenshorne had to retire his TRIDENT on track, deploying a Virtual and later a Safety Car on track. Beganovic once again maintained the pace retained the lead, and it was a clear road from Lap 12 until the finish line for him.
All in for the Podium
The battle was in full swing behind Beganovic. Montoya found himself in second place after Stenshorne’s retirement, but Browning was gaining right behind. However, Alex Dunne made move down the inside line to snatch the third position from him, but lost it shortly after a lock-up in Turn 1. He was also quickly overtaken by Gabriele Minì and demoted to fifth.
The fight was far from over. Browning managed to take the second place from the Columbian on Lap 18, while Dunne overtook Minì for fourth. Montoya’s race took a turn for the worse when he began to slow down and found himself outside of points. This gave the Irishman the perfect chance to secure the podium in third.
Champioship Fight is Heating Up
Although not fighting for the podium in the Sprint, the championship contenders continued to give it their all. Jak Crawford and Leo Fornaroli went wheel-to-wheel on Lap 8, with the American coming out in front to take P7.
Near the final moments, the two found themselves right behind the podium sitters. Crawford was chasing down Browning but had to settle for fourth place. Fornaroli overtook fellow Italian driver Minì in Turn 3, but touched the wall in the process. However, he managed to keep fifth place as the checkered flag was waved.
The Sprint’s result brings Browning closer to the championship lead, with only 17 points behind Fornaroli. However, the Invicta Racing driver starts Sunday’s Feature Race ahead of his title rival in P2, with the Briton starting in P7. Crawford, who finished the Sprint in fourth, will start on pole tomorrow.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix Formula 2 Feature Race starts tomorrow at 11:00 o’clock track time.