Nikola Tsolov claimed a surprising victory around the winding streets of Monaco for the Formula 2 Feature Race after late race incidents mixed up the order.
Behind Tsolov, Alex Dunne and Dino Begnovic ended the race on the podium.
Tsolov sat behind Rafa Camara for most of the race, applying pressure and hoping the Invicta driver would make a mistake. In the final stages of the race, Camara struggled for grip on new tyres and locked up into the run-off area, securing Tsolov the victory.
Camara was starting on pole, looking to claim a good helping of points to put towards his championship campaign. He came into the Feature Race fourth in the standings, just 26 points separating him from Gabriele Mini in the lead.
Monaco is known for its imposing walls and narrow roads, where overtaking is scarce and takes extreme bravery. With that in mind for the drivers, the journey into Turn 1 is the best opportunity to take the lead.
However, the F2 Feature Races also have mandatory pit stops, giving the field another chance to gain an edge over their competitors.
Camara leads into Turn 1
Camara had Tsolov alongside him on the grid as the lights went out. The Brazilian had a clean start, with a touch of wheel spin, but he was able to hold onto the lead.
Mini made up a place in the first corner, diving down the inside of Martinius for fifth place. Tsolov was close on the back of Camara in the opening lap, but the Invicta looked comfortable out front.
Further back in the order, Oliver Goethe made significant contact with Ritomo Miyata in the opening lap. Both drivers continued on, but Goethe had noticeably bent steering.
The difficulty of overtaking became apparent as the race unfolded, with the order cemented in the early half. On Lap 14, Carama still led the field, trying to keep the pack relatively close together as his team requested on the radio.
However, with the pressure from behind of Tsolov’s Campos, Camara couldn’t risk slowing too much.
Rafael Villagomez came into the pit lane on Lap 16, replacing the nose of his Van Amersfoort Racing car. Unfortunately for Villagomez, he’ll lose time again in his mandatory pit stop still to come.
Coming up to half race distance, the driver’s tyres were beginning to look more worn, and the drivers were starting to struggle slightly. On Lap 22, Mini’s front tyres showed clear wear banding, looking desperate for a change.
First pit stops
On Lap 24, the first drivers came into the pit lane, with Laurens Van Hoepen and Goethe coming to switch their tyres.
Two laps later, Mini came into the pits, finally getting rid of his worn tyres. It was a slow stop for the MP driver, coming out in front of Montoya. However, he was overtaken by Montoya, who had warmer tyres.
Bilinski came in behind Mini and, with a much quicker stop, came out ahead. He was also overtaken by Montoya’s PREMA.
On Lap 29, Dino Beganovic came into the pits, a decent stop for the DAMS Lucas Oil driver who emerged from the pits in 11th.
Noel Leon suffered a massive lock-up in front of Bilinski and Mini, with both looking to get ahead of the Campos driver. Bilinski was struggling to get his tyres up to temperature, which was putting him under pressure from the pink liveried MP on his gearbox.
Tsolov and Stenshorne came into the pits, leaving Camara and Dunne as the only front-runners yet to dive into the pits. The next lap, Camara and Dunne reacted and came into the pits.
It was a quick stop for the Invicta driver, who was clear of Toslov coming out of the pits third. The Brazilian was struggling initially coming out of the pits, his Invicta far slower than racing pace. It was unclear whether the pace was due to an issue or to him just getting the tyre up to temperature.
Disaster for Camara
On Lap 35, Tsolov had caught the Invicta, the two going wheel to wheel down the start-finish straight. Heading into Turn 1, Camara suffered a massive lock-up and went off the runoff area. The Brazilian was unable to get going again and was out of the race.
A Virtual Safety Car was brought out, which allowed Ritomo Miyata to make huge gains coming into the pits just before the VSC was announced.
Tsolov put in the fastest lap, the Red Bull junior seemingly unchallenged on the track.
On lap 41, all the runners who hadn’t yet pitted came into the pits to change their tyres.
Kush Maini came out of the pits in third, but quickly, Beganovic was closing on the ART driver. Down into the nouvelle chicane, both drivers cut the corner, but it was clear that the DAMS driver had more pace. Heading into the final stretch, Beganovic was able to get ahead.
Out front, Tsolov saw the chequered flag, the Bulgarian driver taking back-to-back Monaco victories. Last year in F3 and this year in F2. Alex Dunne survived the chaos out front, taking second place with Beganoivc’s move on Maini, securing him the final step on the podium.
Maini had to settle for fourth but fended off the pressure from Stenhsorne and Miyata in fifth and sixth. Emerson Fittipaldi and Sebastian Montoya crossed the line seventh and eighth, with Noel Leon and Roman Bilinski close out the points playing positions.
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