Formula 2: Crawford takes a masterful victory in the wet

Written by Jasmin Low

As rainy conditions tormented the 22-car Formula 2 grid for its 29-lap tour of Silverstone, Jak Crawford claimed his third race win of the season, managing multiple Safety Car restarts on his journey to the top step. 

The American has been on the pace all season long, claiming his third win of the season this weekend in Silverstone | Credit: Formula 2

Now officially past the season’s halfway point, the competition continues to heat up, helped by changeable conditions throughout the weekend which delivered the ultimate challenge to both rookie and experienced drivers.

Drivers were left to navigate the drying track surface, presenting a toss-up between a late change to a set of slick tyres, or remaining on the wet tyres as the track became greasy and increasingly difficult to traverse. 

Victor Martins took a long-awaited first pole position of the season, narrowly beating championship protagonist Alex Dunne to the top spot by 0.065s. Jak Crawford put himself firmly into contention yet again, starting on the second row after qualifying with his best lap time of 1:39.971. 

Leonardo Fornaroli put on an impressive display during Saturday’s Sprint Race, claiming his maiden victory in the championship from reverse-grid pole. PREMA Racing’s Sebastián Montoya finished in second, making his way onto the podium from sixth on the grid. Fornaroli’s teammate, Roman Staněk rounded out the podium in third place.

With a double podium in the books, Invicta’s display of pace proved useful during the Feature Race, however a late burst of rain put Staněk out of contention whilst Fornaroli moved from tenth to sixth. 

Come Sunday, a change in conditions delayed the race start, as the heavens opened over Silverstone, marking the first wet race to take place after the cancellation of the season-opening Feature Race in Australia. With all 22 drivers beginning on the wet tyre, the blue-striped rubber began to match the clearing sky, whilst the possibility of rain kept drivers, engineers, and fans alike on their toes for the full 29-lap race.

As it Happened

Crawford launched from the second row of the grid to snatch the race lead before Turn 1 | Credit: Formula 2

As the five red lights went out, the grid was swallowed up by a cloud of spray, with Crawford emerging at the front of the pack. Martins suffered a poor start, dropping to third behind Dunne.

Hometown heroes Luke Browning and Arvid Lindblad immediately entered into battle after each gaining three places during the race start, with Browning claiming eighth position as the duo rounded onto the Hamilton Straight.

Lindblad’s woes continued as the Red Bull Junior, who had completed a Formula 1 Free Practice session with his senior team earlier in the weekend, lost yet another place to Dino Beganovic. The Swede continued to manoeuvre his Hitech further up the order, exhibiting strong pace throughout the opening stage of the race. 

Meanwhile, Cian Shields was dealt a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for a starting procedure infringement, placing his AIX firmly at the rear of the field. 

Lindblad found himself under pressure yet again, this time from Sprint Race winner Fornaroli, fighting to defend the last of the points-paying positions. Further ahead, a three-way battle between Browning, Staněk, and Joshua Dürksen began to play out.

The trio went three-wide around Luffield Corner, with the Paraguayan eventually losing out to his competitors, losing yet another place to Beganovic shortly after. 

As the grid continued to tour the British circuit, tyre management became yet another challenge for the drivers to manage, as the wet tyres began to degrade whilst the track was not dry enough for slicks. 

By lap 16, Browning was right on the tail of fellow Williams Academy Driver Martins, the former in hot pursuit of a home podium. The Briton flew through Luffield Corner and around the outside of Martins to move up onto the podium, nearly seven seconds back from Dunne in second.

With just nine laps to go, Dunne broke into DRS range to Crawford in front, threatening the American’s race lead. Browning began to eat away at the gap to the leading duo, making up time despite his tyres falling away. 

Sami Meguetouif was handed a 5-second time penalty for track limits, as the midfield began to make their compulsory pit stops, opting for a mixture of wet and dry tyres. PREMA Racing attempted a strategic gamble, fitting Gabriele Minì with soft tyres. However, the Italian almost immediately spun into the side of MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe, bringing out a brief yellow flag before becoming the first retirement of the race. Minì was later dealt a 10-second penalty for causing the collision. 

Staněk came to a halt on track, calling for a Virtual Safety Car on lap 24. Jak Crawford pulled into the pit lane, hoping to have his pit stop counted, since drivers are forbidden from pitting under the VSC. A full safety car was deployed the next lap, prompting the top six to trade in their tyres. 

Rain began to fall in time for the safety car restart, as the legitimacy of Crawford’s pit stop remained hanging in the balance. The American led the pack into the penultimate lap, with his contenders close behind. Yellow flags went flying almost immediately, as Dürksen spun out from fourth place as he rounded the final corner. Pole-sitter Martins became the fourth retiree after suffering damage, which left him unable to continue.  

With the Safety Car called for yet again, the race was neutralised, leaving Crawford to take the checkered flag in first place after managing the tricky track conditions. Alex Dunne brought his Papaya-liveried Rodin Motorsport machine home in second place, with Browning securing third place in front of his home crowd despite starting from twelfth place. 

The Championship

Richard Verschoor hangs onto the championship lead with 122 points, just six points ahead of Crawford who moves into second place. Dunne reclaims third place from Fornaroli with 108 points, whilst the Italian sits in fourth with 104. 

Campos Racing continues to lead the way in the Teams’ standings despite only bringing in 7 points across the weekend. DAMS Lucas Oil lead Hitech by just one point on 142 and 141 points respectively. 

Formula 2 will return on the 25th of July, joining Formula 1 at the revered Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.