Renault Formula 1 development driver Artem Markelov dominated the Formula 2 sprint race at the Red Bull Ring to take victory, while George Russell took the championship lead with second.
Markelov, who overtook four cars on the final lap of Saturday’s feature race to secure pole position for the sprint, led every lap.
He built a two-second advantage to his Russian Time team-mate Tadasuke Makino in the opening laps.
Mercedes F1 junior Russell emerged as Markelov’s primary threat. Feature race winner Russell scythed passed four cars in four laps at Turn 1. He later passed Makino at the heavy braking zone of Turn 2 to take second place.
Markelov proceeded to increase his pace at the front of the field. A third of the way into the race, he led Russell by three seconds.
At the chequered flag, Markelov won a second consecutive Austria sprint race by 5.6s. Russell had to settle for second, but takes the championship lead from McLaren F1 reserve Lando Norris.
Carlin’s Norris was passed by Russell at Turn 1 on lap one. In seventh place, he spent several laps behind Alexander Albon.
While he eventually passed the DAMS driver at mid-distance, his pace deteriorated significantly in the closing stages. Norris fell from sixth place to finish outside the points in 11th.
His team-mate Sergio Sette Camara sealed the final spot on the podium in third place, ahead of Charouz Racing System’s Antonio Fuoco in fourth. Fuoco was 17 seconds adrift of Markelov at the end of the race.
Albon finished less than a second behind in fifth place, having passed Makino in the closing stages. Makino struggled with tyre degradation. He was on course for his first F2 podium before being demoted from third place by Sette Camara on lap 19 of 28.
Santino Ferrucci prevailed in an extended battle with Arden International’s Nirei Fukuzumi. Trident’s Ferrucci finished in seventh place.
Fukuzumi missed out on the final point after being passed by Nicholas Latifi for eighth place late-on. Arjun Maini rounded out the top 10.
Roberto Merhi was meant to start the race in fifth place. However, a non-engine related technical glitch meant that he was forced to start from the pitlane. He ended up 16th.
Merhi gained two places when Louis Deletraz and Sean Gelael collided in the closing stages.
Running side-by-side through Turn 4, Deletraz dipped a wheel into the gravel on the outside of the corner after being squeezed by Gelael. Losing control, Deletraz hit Gelael. Both retired from the race soon after the collision.
