Renault Formula 1 reserve driver Jack Aitken took a maiden Formula 2 victory in an incident-packed sprint race at the Circuit de Barcelona.
Aitken took the lead heading into Turn 1, vaulting past polesitter Artem Markelov and second placed Sergio Sette Camara as the race started with damp conditions off the racing line.
The ART Grand Prix driver then extended his lead significantly during a virtual safety period on lap 4. Aitken held an 11-second advantage over second place when the race restarted, after benefitting from being in a slow corner when the virtual safety car was withdrawn and therefore losing less time.
A safety car one lap later eradicated this advantage and Aitken was forced to hold his lead through two further VSC periods later in the race. He never conceded the lead at any point.
Second was Alexander Albon. He was third after the opening lap, but passed Carlin’s Camara when he was caught out by the first VSC restart, running deep at the hairpin Turn 10. Lando Norris followed Albon through and the two traded times throughout the race.
McLaren Formula 1 junior Norris finished third to secure his second podium of the weekend. He continues to lead the championship.
Saturday’s feature race winner George Russell ended up fourth. He was unable to make up places on the opening lap after starting eighth, but gradually climbed through the field as the race progressed. Russell also set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap.
He passed Luca Ghiotto with six laps remaining, demoting the Campos Racing driver to fifth.
Sean Gelael finished sixth for Prema Racing. He made no mistakes in the damp conditions early on and scythed passed Antonio Fuoco at the safety car restart to demote the Charouz Racing System driver into seventh place.
Eighth was Nicholas Latifi, who fended off a late charge from a recovering Markelov. The polesitter ended lap one in sixth and slipped to outside the top 10 in the opening stages as he struggled for rear grip, eventually finishing ninth and outside the points.
After finishing second on Saturday, Nyck de Vries’s sprint race ended on lap four. He made contact with Ralph Boschung’s MP Motorsport at Turn 10 when trying to make an overtake, spinning and stalling. He was looking to recover after falling to the rear of the field on lap one with a trip through the Turn 4 gravel trap.
Tadasuke Makino and Nirei Fukuzumi tangled at Turn 4, when Fukuzumi attempted a pass on the inside but slid into the Russian Time on the outside. Both retired on the spot and triggered the race’s only full safety car.
Camara was running sixth when his fire extinguisher was activated in the car. He was forced to retire as a result.
