Dan Ticktum scored his first Formula 2 victory on home soil in the sprint race at Silverstone.
Ticktum managed his hard tyres well to keep the lead from a late-charging Christian Lundgaard. The Dane was catching quickly on fresh tyres, but Ticktum held on for the win.
The DAMS driver led every lap of the race in a mature drive, showing that he is capable at this level.
Ticktum said after the race: “It feels just as good – even without the fans – and I am over the moon, to be honest. I haven’t crossed the line first in a while, so it feels good, and it is a nice confidence boost. I don’t know what to say really, it was a very tough race all the way through.
“The first five laps, in particular, were pretty close, but then in the middle, if the race I controlled it pretty well, to be honest. The management of the tyres and the setup, with what we did with the aero balance, was very good. At the end, if we had one less safety car lap, he (Lundgaard) would have passed me. The last three laps were absolutely flat out, and I’m sure the blood pressure was pretty high.
“I am really happy, so a big thank you to the team because it hasn’t been the easiest of starts, but we seem to have always made the best of not-so-ideal qualifying sessions, so to come away from this weekend with 20 odd points or something like that, I am very happy.
“This is the best track in the world, so I am happy we will be back next weekend.”
The win moved Ticktum to fifth in the driver’s championship, 24 points behind leader Robert Shwartzman. The Russian failed to score this weekend, allowing the likes of Ticktum to close in.
Image Credits: (C) Formula Motorsport Limited
