Silverstone, home of motorsport: how was the weekend for Formula 2 e Formula 3
- danielesala04
- Jul 11, 2024
- 4 min read
The second part of the Formula 2 and Formula 3 season features the British Grand Prix, hosted by a historic circuit that kick-started Formula 1 in 1950. Thanks to a spectacular track, with straights, fast and slow corners, it is defined as one of the most beautiful and challenging races of the season, highlighting the talents of the drivers, but that could also put them in serious difficulty due to the always unpredictable weather conditions.
Sprint Race F2
Starting from pole position for the first time after the grid reversal of the top ten, Kimi Antonelli always kept the lead in a race marked by heavy rain. The race is stopped on lap 4 due to worsening weather conditions. After a few laps under the safety car, the race restarts with Antonelli ahead of Maloney and the two Invicta Racing of Maini and Bortoleto, authors of an intense battle for the third place. On lap 8, however, the race returns under the safety car regime, due to a contact at the end of the first sector that involved Aron, actual overall leader, and Marti.
Once again, the gap built by Kimi vanished due to the safety car entrance, but that didn’t stop the Italian driver who, lap after lap, managed to rebuild an impressive gap against his rivals and win his first race in Formula 2, ahead of Maloney and Bortoleto, who just in the end managed to overcome his teammate and reach the lowest step of the podium.
Feature Race F2
Unlike the sprint race, the long race starts in dry conditions. At the start Hadjar, who started in front, was overtaken by Martins and a furious Bearman, with the future Haas driver managing to gain three positions at the start. The hero of the sprint race, Antonelli, is hit by Maini in Turn 3 and is forced to retire, causing the safety car entrance. The race restarts again on lap three, but once again a contact between Aron and Durksen leads to the entry of the safety car. It’s a matter of a few laps before the pit stops start, with the drivers starting on red tyre returning to the pits on the ninth lap.
To break the seal were Bearman and Hadjar, but the slow pit stop of the Prema driver causes him to lose a position. In the following laps a battle for the first position began between Martins and Hadjar, with the Frenchman initially popping it up, but after a few corners he had to give up the position to Crawford. However, the latter, due to an unsafe release against Maloney, was forced to serve a 5- second penalty at the end of the race. Crawford wins on the track, but because of the penalty he moves back to P3, with Hadjar and Maloney first and second. In addition to the victory, Hadjar takes the lead in the world championships and manages to lengthen the gap with respect to his direct opponents.
Sprint Race F3
Weather conditions in Silverstone are always very difficult to predict. Formula 3 knows it well, with the sprint race that was supposed to start at 10.20, but due to the weather conditions the short race was postponed at 19. Thanks to a fantastic start, Lindblad takes the lead in the race ahead of Zagasata and Leon, with the latter already managing to regain second position at the end of the first lap.
During the fourth lap, Esterson and Goethe touch at the Copse corner and retire, causing the safety car entrance. After the restart, the world leader Browning was hit by Tramnitz and ended up at the bottom of the field. On lap 12, at the end of the first sector, a contact between Wurz and Dunne ended the latter’s race. The race ended with Lindblad triumphing ahead of Leon and Zagazeta. Our Italians, Mini and Fornaroli, finish in sixth and tenth position after Mansell’s penalty
Feature Race F3
The long F3 race proves once again the unpredictability of Silverstone. Weather conditions that are difficult to interpret lead different drivers to make different decisions. Browning and Fornaroli, for example, stay on track with wet tyres, while others, such as Voisin, Lindblad and Mini, return to the pits to get the slicks. On lap 4, the safety car enters the track, after a contact that saw several cars involved and forced Sophia Floersch to retire. Races restarts on lap eight, with the increasing rain, and Voisin, Lindblad and Mini, as well as the other drivers with dry tyres, end up at the bottom of the grid. But there are more emotions to come, because less than ten minutes from the end it is no longer raining.
The dry tyres are the fastest, as showed by Voisin, Lindblad and Minì, who manage, at the sound of fast laps, to get the first three positions with a great gap from the others. However, Voisin, the race leader, will have to serve a 10-second penalty due to an off-track overtake against Enderson. The race ended with Voisin winning, but only on track, because after the penalty he was overtaken by Lindblad, the first driver in Formula 3 history to win both the sprint and feature race, and Mini. After this thrilling race, Mini takes the lead of the championship, while Fornaroli, who finished in P 7, remains fourth in the championship
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