Pepe Marti claimed victory in the Formula 2 Sprint Race in Austria, in a thrilling race which saw late drama and an early red flag.
The Spaniard added to his Bahrain Feature win after snatching the lead from Joshua Durksen in an exciting race-long battle between the two, with Roman Stanek following close by in third.
At the start, Bennett got an awful start and was swamped, and down to fifth. Durksen took the lead and streaked off, with Stanek and Marti battling behind him for second, the Spaniard jumping from fifth place.
Dunne tried to take fifth off Bennett at Turn 3 but went wide in his attempt.
As the racing continued to look fraught, the drama reached an all too horrific level, with a three-way collision at Turn 2 involving Arvid Lindblad, Luke Browning, and Sami Meguetounif.
The Frenchman tried to divebomb Lindblad into Turn 3, but the move was far too ambitious, and touched the Campos, sending it skittling over the top of Browning’s Hitech, rolling and then again, the Trident coming to a halt upside down.
The red flag was swifly waved. Meguetounif thankfully reported that he was OK, and cars were taken back to the grid, and the drivers waited to resume.
A half-an-hour wait ensued, with cars leaving the pitlane, but Kush Maini would not be one of them, his DAMS failing to get going in the pits, ensuring a double retirement for the team, with team-mate Jak Crawford unable to get off the line on the initial formation lap.
After one full lap under the Safety Car, Durksen launched into the final two corners and led Marti and Stanek, opening up a seven-tenths lead.
Further back, Gabriele Mini and Dunne engaged themselves in a brilliant battle, the Italian driving around the outside of the Irishman’s Rodin to take eighth at Turns 5 and 6. However, Dunne also had to contend with a five-second penalty for his move on Bennett at the start of the race.
But racing was truncated once again with the deployment of the Safety Car, with Dino Beganovic punted backwards by Ollie Goethe at Turn 3. The Swede tried to spin turn the car around but seemingly stalled, leaving him stranded at the peak of the hill.
The Safety Car came in after just a single lap and Durksen again launched early, and this time Stanek had a Marti in his air, the Invicta looking to get into second as AIX opened up a 1.2 second lead into Lap 9.
Dunne was now slipping back, with Sebastian Montoya taking him for 10th, and the McLaren junior driver now falling into the clutches of Ritomo Miyata.
The Colombian was on a mission and took Victor Martins for ninth, as Goethe received a penalty of his own for taking Beganovic out of the race.
Durksen’s advantage was being reduced slowly by Marti, who got within DRS range of the Dutchman on Lap 12.
Dunne on the charge
Dunne was not being deterred, sending it up the inside of Martins for 10th, but went deep on the exit of Turn 4 and the ART was back through.
A lap later, and he would try again, this time on the outside, but could not find a way past the French Williams junior.
Dunne was determined and kept trying, this time completing it at Turn 3, forcing Martins wide, who then had to fend off Miyata’s advances.
At the front, Durksen continued to lead, with Marti maintaining a deficit of around seven tenths, but the Spaniard got closer and closer, with Durksen forced to weave and break the tow.
On Lap 17, it was Marti’s moment, as he put Durksen under pressure to force a mistake at Turn 3. With Durksen now wide, Marti took him on the outside of Turn 3, but one corner later, Durksen managed to take the position back.
This left Stanek and Cordeel getting in on the action, edging closer to the front two, with Bennett, Verschoor and Mini all nearby too.
Marti then divebombed Durksen at Turn 3, this time taking the lead, with Stanek now looking to get in on it, but the AIX held off the Invicta.
A DRS train was now forming between the top eight cars, but Marti and Durksen broke away from it, with the winner now looking to be between both men with just six laps left.
Late drama sees Verschoor take title lead as Marti wraps up victory
Verschoor took fifth from Bennett on Lap 24, the Englishman was now struggling with Mini, Fornaroli and Montoya all looking to pounce.
Mini made the first move and stuck it out on the outside of Turn 6, sweeping through into sixth.
Into the final lap, and Marti was now two seconds ahead, with Durksen holding off Stanek, and as he unsuccessfully tried to pass him at Turn 3, Cordeel spun behind them, and collected a flurry of cars behind him.
Mini, Bennett and Fornaroli all ran into each other, providing even further drama, and handing some points to some very grateful drivers behind them.
Marti took the victory, with Durksen holding on for second, despite running onto the gravel at Turn 7.
Stanek claimed third, with Verschoor fourth, Montoya fifth, with Dunne sixth, Martins seventh, Miyata eighth, Rafael Villagomez eighth and Esterson 10th.
