Richard Verschoor took victory in the Formula 2 Austria Feature Race ahead of Alex Dunne, after a commanding drive which sees him take the lead in the championship.
The Dutchman drove commandingly around the Red Bull Ring to see his title aspirations soar, with Dunne typically bullish and brave to end up on the podium alongside his rival in second, however the Irishman was later disqualified for excessive plankwear, promoting Jak Crawford to the podium.
Pole-sitter Leonardo Fornaroli lost the lead in the pit stops and could do no better than third, the Italian caught up in a plethora of on-track action throughout the race.
At the start, Fornaroli led Verschoor into Turn 1, as Mini tried to take Martins on the outside, but was squeezed out. Verschoor and Fornaroli were side by side into Turn 4, but the Italian had the inside line and kept the lead.
Towards the end of the lap, Mini’s engine failed in a plume of smoke, and pitted into retirement, a massive disappointment for the Italian. He was followed a lap later by Ritomo Miyata, who parked his ART next to Mini’s PREMA in the pits.
Fornaroli continued to lead with Martins, Stanek and Marti all offering their interest behind. For Joshua Durksen was amongst the leading pack, but his car slowed on Lap 3, dropping back to 15th.
Sebastian Montoya was also in the wars, picking up a puncture in a battle for position with John Bennett.
Alex Dunne was in his typical racey mood, battle Sprint winner Pepe Marti for position, but ultimately being forced to cede the position for the time being.
By Lap 7, drivers began to pit. Browning, Bennett, Goethe, Martins, Marti and Dunne were amongst the first to pit, along with Verschoor.
Fornaroli pitted a lap later from the lead, but opting to stay out longer did not prove to work, as Martins and Verschoor leapt ahead into sixth and seventh, but the net first and second place.
Lap 11, and Dunne and Marti resumed their battle, the Spaniard divebombing the Irishman’s Rodin at Turn 3, with Fornaroli just ahead. He would lose out to the Campos driver and Dunne in the space of two corners.
Dunne would take Marti back a lap later, and he would pull away, leaving Marti to contend with Fornaroli’s challenge behind him.
The Italian jumped ahead of Marti on lap 14, as the leading five cars were still yet to pit, as Verschoor went for Martins to effectively take the lead, but the Frenchman got the switchback, but could not resist the Dutchman, who sailed past around the outside at Turn 4.
The race settled into a slight rhythm whilst the net leaders waited for those ahead to pit. Dunne was teetering to slipping into Fornaroli’s DRS, but was getting into Martins’, and edged closer to the ART.
Dunne got his elbows out into Turn 4, and sent it late, forcing Martins wide and taking sixth.
Verschoor would need to clear Max Esterson, who had not yet pitted, but eventually did so at the start of Lap 26. Dunne would follow suit a lap later, and was now just two seconds behind the MP Motorsport.
Everyone bar Kush Maini had pitted by Lap 31, but the Indian did so leaving Verschoor to take the lead officially with just eight laps to go.
Verschoor seizes initiative as battle for third hots up
Dunne was realistically his only challenger, with Martins, Fornaroli and Marti all jostling for third place. Fornaroli took the position from Martins at Turn 3, but the Williams junior driver took it straight back one corner later, as Marti sat back and watched and waited for his chance, with Luke Browning catching the trio.
Fornaroli tried again at Turn 3, and when pushed wide by Martins, Marti pounced to take fourth, as Browning crept into DRS range.
Martins got a wiggle coming out of Turn 1, leaving him vulnerable going up the hill into Turn 3. Marti tried, but could not take the place as he tried to cover off Fornaroli behind.
Down the hill into Turn 4, the Marti nudged the back of Martins, who went wide. Marti went ahead, as did Fornaroli, who then took Marti for third just a matter of corners later, and with Martins now out of sorts, Browning took him for fifth.
Marti was placed under investigation for the move on Martins, and was quickly handed a 10-second time penalty.
Behind him and Fornaroli, Jak Crawford came from nowhere to join the battle between the two ARTs. Initially taking both of them on the outside of Turn 3, Martins was able to take Browning back, but the American was clear.
Now Montoya was in on the act, taking Browning and Martins, as further ahead, Verschoor cruised across the line to take victory, with Dunne second.
Fornaroli held third place, with Marti’s penalty sending him down the order to seventh. Crawford was fourth, with Montoya fifth, Browning six, with Martins eighth, having been in a podium place just a few laps before.
Stanek was ninth, with Dino Beganovic rounding up the top 10. For Verschoor, it was a big statement to Dunne, and now took the lead in the Drivers’ Championship.
However, the drama did not end there, as Dunne was called to the stewards for his car’s failure to comply with the minimum thickness of his front plank, and after a period of discussion, was disqualified from the result.
It promoted Crawford to third, with all drivers moving up one place, therefore handing Sami Meguetounif one point for 10th place.
Verschoor now has a 24-point lead in the championship, with Crawford now just two points behind Dunne.
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