Richard Verschoor won the first race of the FIA Formula 2 2022 season after taking an early lead for his new Trident team. He was joined on the podium by Jehan Daruvala and Liam Lawson.
It was Felipe Drugovich alongside Verschoor on the first row for the Sprint Race of the season and it was Verschoor who took the lead into Turn 1, following a poor start for Drugovich. The Brazilian struggled to get off the line which put him down in P6.
Marcus Armstrong was the first retiree of the season after the full grid battled for the early positions. The Kiwi was spun around by Jake Hughes and was unable to get his car going again, bringing out the Safety Car.
Hughes was deemed to be the driver at fault for the incident and was hit with a 10-second time penalty for the collision.
Théo Pourchaire was the next driver to receive a share of bad luck. On Lap 7, Pourchaire had to retire due to a mechanical problem after driving an impressive race beforehand including an incredibly brave overtake on Drugovich in the opening stages.
Hughes brought out the Virtual Safety Car on Lap 16 after pulling to the side of the track following contact with Clément Novalak, who also picked up front wing damage. This time it was Novalak who was given a 10-second penalty for causing a collision.
After the Virtual Safety Car, Daruvala and Ralph Boschung began an incredible battle for second place. The pair fought for consecutive laps, but even though Boschung made a bold move through Bahrain’s esses, he had to concede the position to Daruvala.
Boschung’s tyres fell off the cliff in the closing stages of the race as Lawson also edged past the Swiss driver for third place, putting Boschung out of the podium positions.
Ayumu Iwasa was one of the standout drivers under the lights in Sakhir as he made up 14 positions throughout the course of the Sprint Race. The promising Red Bull Junior Team hopeful was able to score a point on his F2 debut.
Verschoor led the race from Lap 1 to give Trident their first win since 2016. The Dutchman wasn’t sure if he would be able to compete this year but was able to secure a seat in Formula 2 to be the last confirmed name on the grid. A much-deserved win for both himself and the team.
Formula 2 will return on Sunday for the Feature Race where rookie, Jack Doohan, will start from pole.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Race Time | Gap | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BOSCHUNG | CAMPOS | 0:0:0.000 | 10 | |
| 2 | HAUGER | MP MOTORSPORT | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 8 |
| 3 | MARTINS | ART GP | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 6 |
| 4 | IWASA | DAMS | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 5 |
| 5 | POURCHAIRE | ART GP | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 4 |
| 6 | DARUVALA | MP MOTORSPORT | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 3 |
| 7 | MAINI | CAMPOS | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 2 |
| 8 | FITTIPALDI | RODIN CARLIN | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 1 |
| 9 | MALONEY | RODIN CARLIN | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 0 |
| 10 | CORREA | VAR | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 0 |
| 11 | DOOHAN | VIRTUOSI | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 0 |
| 12 | LECLERC | DAMS | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 0 |
| 13 | STANEK | TRIDENT | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 0 |
| 14 | CRAWFORD | HITECH GP | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 0 |
| 15 | BEARMAN | PREMA | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 0 |
| 16 | NOVALAK | TRIDENT | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 0 |
| 17 | VESTI | PREMA | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 0 |
| 18 | NISSANY | PHM RACING | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 0 |
| 19 | BENAVIDES | PHM RACING | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 0 |
| 20 | HADJAR | HITECH GP | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 0 |
| 21 | CORDEEL | VIRTUOSI | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 0 |
| 22 | VERSCHOOR | VAR | 0:0:0.000 | 0:0:0.000 | 0 |
Image Credit: Formula Motorsport Ltd
