Sergio Sette Camara took a maiden Formula 2 victory at Spa-Francorchamps, in a sprint race which finished behind the safety car.
The Brazilian – who is the youngest driver in the series at 18-years-old – stormed from third to first on the run towards La Source after a perfect launch from the grid.
Having not relinquished the lead at any point, his win was secured when a late race safety car was deployed as a result of a dramatic accident for ART’s Nobuharu Matsushita at Eau Rouge.
The Japanese driver lost control at the top of Radillon, spearing into the wall on the outside. Fortunately, he emerged from the accident unscathed.
Camara’s win is MP Motorsport’s first win and podium of the 2017 campaign.
Nyck De Vries finished second on his first weekend with Racing Engineering, after making a bold overtake on the outside of Norman Nato’s Arden on the opening lap.
Despite running third for much of the race, Nato eventually slipped to fourth. He was demoted by Luca Ghiotto a lap before Matsushita’s accident. The result is Ghiotto’s fifth podium of the season.
Championship leader Charles Leclerc was at his brilliant best throughout the race, recovering to fifth place from 19th on the grid, following his disqualification from the Saturday’s feature race.
Having climbed up to P13 on lap one of 18, the Monagasque scythed his way through the field with scintillating overtakes at Pouhon and Eau Rouge characterising his determined drive.
His championship rival Oliver Rowland, who was also excluded from Saturday’s result, salvaged a solitary point in eighth, with DAMS team-mate Nicolas Latifi following the Englishman home in ninth.
Roberto Merhi finished sixth for Rapax while Leclerc’s team-mate Antonio Fuoco ended the day seventh.
Fuoco entertained fans with a breath-taking battle against Artem Markelov at half-distance before the Russian was forced into retirement with engine issues.
