OPPORTUNISTIC MOVE SECURES HOME SUCCESS FOR JACK AITKEN
Last year, home fans got used to having Brits on the top step of the F2 podium with current F1 drivers Alex Albon, Lando Norris and George Russell tasting champagne. This year has been sparse, but one driver delivered in Baku and delivered again on home ground again at Silverstone last weekend.
British-south Korean driver Jack Aitken struggled as Russell’s team-mate last year, but a switch to Campos Racing has rejuvenated the Renault F1 junior.
He had to wait for the reversed grid race to taste success, but it was sweet. He got a lightning start but was jumped by points leader Nyck de Vries around the outside of Brooklands, but Aitken was soon ahead again and reeling in long-time leader Louis Deletraz for British concern, Carlin.
But no one could have expected Aitken’s move, the most opportunistic of the season, as he came from miles back to dive-bomb Deletraz at the inside of Brooklands in a wonderful move. De Vries was mobbed by Ferrari junior Brit Callum Ilott for most of the race but the latter struggled to keep with de Vries in the fast sections and get close enough to overtake.
In the feature race, the first of the weekend on Saturday, British-domiciled Chinese driver Guan Yu Zhou take pole for Norfolk’s Virtuosi Racing, but the star rookie of the F2 campaign so far – another Renault junior – couldn’t hold on. Luca Ghiotto jumped his team-mate from the front row, and although he was briefly headed by Nicholas Latifi thanks to an undercut pit strategy, Ghiotto got ahead with a decisive move at Stowe. Latifi – a Williams junior linked heavily to an F1 seat next year – pumped in fastest laps to try to reel in Ghiotto, but the likeable under-funded Italian held on to kickstart his forward momentum in the drivers’ championship after a rollercoaster year to date.
Zhou was attacked by Mclaren test and development driver Sergio Sette Camara – Latifi’s DAMS team-mate – but Zhou was able to edge clear.
Aitken’s Sunday was all the more important for his championship after Ghiotto’s success, with less than
10 points splitting the pair in the order. De Vries is the clear title leader with 170 points and three wins, while Latifi has amassed 139 points and also three wins.
The series moves to Budapest in two weeks before visiting Spa, Monza, Sochi and Abu Dhabi.
Results
Race 1 (29 laps): 1 Luca Ghiotto (ITA) (Virtuosi Racing) 50m21.114s; 2 Nicholas Latifi (CAN) (DAMS) +3.314s; 3 Guan Yu Zhou (CHN) (Virtuosi Racing); 4 Sergio Sette Camara (BRA) (DAMS); 5 Jack Aitken (GBR) (Campos Racing); 6 Nyck de Vries (NLD) (ART Grand Prix); 7 Louis Deletraz (CHE) (Carlin); 8 Callum Ilott (GBR) (Sauber Junior Team by Charouz); 9 Nobuharu Matsushita (JPN) (Carlin); 10 Jordan King (GBR) (MP Motorsport); 11 Mick Schumacher (DEU) (Prema Racing); 12 Juan Manuel Correa (USA) (Sauber Junior Team by Charouz); 13 Arjun Maini (IND) (Campos Racing); 14 Tatiana Calderon (COL) (Arden); 15 Mahaveer Raghunathan (IND) (MP Motorsport); 16 Nikita Mazepin (RUS) (ART Grand Prix); 17 Giuliano Alesi (FRA) (Trident); 18 Anthoine Hubert (FRA) (Arden); R Dorian Boccolacci (FRA) (Trident); DNS Sean Gelael (IDN) (Prema Racing). Pole: Zhou 1m38.182s. Winner’s average speed: 126.395mph. Fastest lap: Camara 1m40.858s (130.656mph).
Race 2 (21 laps): 1 Aitken 36m47.822s; 2 Deletraz +4.997s; 3 de Vries; 4 Ilott; 5 Latifi; 6 Schumacher; 7 Matsushita; 8 Zhou; 9 King; 10 Correa; 11 Hubert; 12 Mazepin; 13 Maini; 14 Boccolacci; 15 Ghiotto; 16 Calderon; 17 Camara; 18 Raghunathan; R Alesi.
Pole: Ilott. Winner’s average speed: 125.206mph. Fastest lap: Aitken 1m39.993s (131.787mph). Points: 1 de Vries 170; 2 Latifi 139; 3 Ghiotto 122; 4 Camara 121; 5 Aitken 113; 6 Zhou 105; 7 Hubert 77; 8 Matsushita 65; 9 Deletraz 60; 10 King 41.