Race – GP2: Sergey Sirotkin Converts His Pole Position into Victory

If at the finish line the Russian was six seconds ahead of the American, his race was not as straightforward as it seemed. Indeed, he lost the lead at the start when Richie Stanaway surged from third place to take command. However, he took full advantage of the safety car’s withdrawal to surprise the New Zealander and regain the lead.

His maneuver also allowed Nobuharu Matsushita to continue his climb, which began at the start and then placed him in third position. Unfortunately for the ART Grand Prix driver, his mechanics betrayed him a few laps later, and he had to retire.

The field was then clear for a battle between the two championship leaders, Stoffel Vandoorne and Alexander Rossi. While the Belgian was trying to find an opening on Richie Stanaway, who was struggling with his tires, he was caught off guard by the American, who saw a slight gap. The Racing Engineering driver made quick work of the Status driver and tried to catch up to Sergey Sirotkin, who was isolated in front. However, after several races where he lost numerous positions in the final laps due to his tires, he chose to secure his second place.

Behind, the battle on track was no less intense. Indeed, different pit stop strategies allowed Nick Yelloly and Jordan King to move ahead of the Belgian. He had to delay his braking at the start of the 21st lap when he saw Pierre Gasly’s DAMS emerge ahead of him.

Jordan King was then going to try to manage his tires until the end of the race, but he had to contain a very aggressive train of cars, consisting of Vandoorne, Yelloly, Gasly, Lynn, Rowland, Pic, and Marciello. While the Belgian and the two DAMS drivers managed to find an opening, the adventure ended badly during Arthur Pic’s attempt in the last corner: the Racing Engineering driver was defending his position, but a rear contact unsettled him, causing him to spin out just as the finish line was in sight.

If the accident is under investigation by the GP2 stewards, the Briton nevertheless finds himself at the back of the grid for tomorrow’s race, which compromises the possibility of scoring valuable points in the championship.

From our special correspondent in Silverstone