Gabriel Bortoleto finished in the points in the FIA Formula 2 Feature Race at Silverstone, while Kush Maini’s race was affected by opening lap contact.
Sunday’s 29-lap Feature Race was held with weather conditions which could have changed at any moment. Light rain fell before the start of the race, but it remained dry enough for slicks to be used throughout.
Gabriel started from sixth on the Soft tyres and Kush from eighth on the Hards with a variance of strategy up and down the field. Gabriel made a great move around the outside of Zane Maloney at Copse on the opening lap, but Kush’s race was affected early with contact with Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the tight first braking zone which necessitated a front wing change.
This brought out the Safety Car briefly, before a second Safety Car shortly afterwards for another incident. When the race eventually resumed properly on lap seven, some of the Soft-shod runners started to pit. On that lap, Gabriel lost fifth to Maloney in a reversal of the opening lap move.
Gabriel waited until the end of lap nine to make his switch to Hards, among the latest of the Soft starters to do so. From there, he was able to make use of his fresher tyres to regain the lost ground on those who had pitted earlier as the laps ticked down.
In the closing laps, Gabriel made a great move on Oliver Bearman for sixth place, with Franco Colapinto, who had started on the other strategy, able to get through ahead of several Soft-starting runners. Gabriel eventually was able to come across the line in sixth, holding position from his starting spot.
Kush unfortunately had to settle for 19th after his early trouble and a lack of further interruptions limiting his opportunities. The team now has a short break before back-to-back rounds in Hungary and Belgium prior to the summer break.
FEATURE RACE RESULTS:
- Gabriel Bortoleto: P6, eight points
- Kush Maini: P19
GABRIEL BORTOLETO: “It was another challenging race. We had some great battles out there with Maloney and Bearman which I enjoyed. I think we made the most of it and every point this championship is very valuable. We will keep pushing to make the most of the next rounds.”
KUSH MAINI: “Just one of those days today. The opening lap contact undid our race before it got going and we needed things to fall our way and they did not. We will just need to make the most of what we have learned from this weekend ahead of Budapest and Spa.”
ANDY ROCHE, TEAM PRINCIPAL: “A bit of a tricky one today. Gabriel did a solid job to finish where he started and made some great moves on the track, and Kush was unlucky with the opening lap contact meaning he was unable to pick up a good result today. Reflecting on the weekend, we were competitive in a wide range of conditions which is a positive as we look ahead to Hungary and Belgium where the weather can also be heavily variable and then onto the summer break.”
