Formula 2: Sprint in Hungary won by Dennis Hauger

In Saturday’s sprint Kush Maini started from pole position, with a 10th fastest time in yesterday’s qualifying, but the more experienced Dennis Hauger and Jehan Daruwala started from 2nd and 3rd and before the start they made no secret of their intentions to immediately compete for leadership.

During qualifying, Juan Manuel Correa interfered with Amory Cordil, losing three positions today, but these riders were at the end of the grid anyway.

Maini started well, but overdid it in the first corner, locking up the brakes, so Hauger immediately passed him, and soon Ayumu Iwasa, who famously broke from 5th position to 2nd.

Then Indian racer Campos was also passed by Oliver Berman, but Mayi soon bounced back. All of these events happened in the first three laps, so the start of the race turned out to be very combative.

At the same time, Theo Purscher, for whom it is fundamental to finish ahead of Frederic Vesti, the leader of the individual classification, and ideally bypass Iwasa, riding fifth. Vesti started 8th but lost several positions and rolled back to the bottom of the top ten.

When about a third of the way behind, the situation stabilized somewhat – probably due to the riders’ desire to save tires in the Hungarian heat and attack closer to the finish.

Hauger took the lead and took the lead to almost two seconds in ten laps, but Iwasa tried not to let him go too far, added and gained back several tenths. Maini held off the Japanese racer for 0.7 seconds and tried not to attack him, Berman lost the same amount of time to Kush, but Purscher actively pressured him and got very close in some corners.

But on the 11th lap, Ralf Boschung, who was running 15th, flew off the track, and he didn’t fly off himself, he was helped by Clement Novalak, who attacked the Swiss a bit clumsily in the first corner. The virtual safety car mode was introduced briefly, and as soon as it was canceled, Purscher immediately rushed to attack Berman, and he didn’t have time to do anything.

At the same time, the stewards will investigate the collision between Boschung and Novalak after the finish of the race.

After the restart, the impression was that Iwasa would not be able to overtake Hauger, Norwegian racer MP Motorsport increased the lead to more than two seconds, but Purscher got close to Maini’s car and clearly prepared an attack on the debutant of the season.

Meanwhile, Ayumu asked the DAMS team a question: When can he attack at full strength? He was told it is already possible, and was curious how this would affect the gap between the Japanese car and the race leader. Literally around the circle, Hauger’s advantage was cut by a few tenths, then another three, but Iwasa still had a second and a half to play to really get into a leadership dispute.

On the 19th lap, Vesti made a decisive attack on Jack Duane, who was running 9th, and was ahead of the Australian.

There were still five laps to go to the finish, Hauger remained in the lead by more than a second, but Maini fell further and further behind Iwasa, so for a long time he could not use DRS to protect more effectively against Purscher, but although he literally hit the gearbox of the Campos car, he was in no hurry to take active actions – apparently he was waiting for the opponent to make a mistake.

But already on the next lap Theo noticeably improved and overtook Maini into the first corner, and Kush did not avoid a slight contact with the Frenchman’s car, but without any special consequences. Unless, since the Indian’s Dallara was somewhat destabilized, Berman immediately took advantage of this and also bypassed Maini.

And a surprise happened a few laps from the finish: Berman attacked Purscher beautifully and pushed him from third position, took the lead and immediately broke away by a few tenths, leaving Theo with no chance to counterattack.

By the lap before the end of the race, Iwasa’s tires had finally worn out, unable to withstand the aggressive handling of the Japanese, and Ayumu was already five seconds behind the leader.

On the last lap, the same problem made it difficult for Maini to keep the car on track, which his compatriot Jehan Daruala took advantage of and took the position, closing the top five.

Dennis Hauger was the first to see the checkered flag with his second win of the season – the first was a long time ago, in Australia’s Albert Park, and also in the sprint on Saturday. Ayumu Iwasa, who finished second, slightly narrowed the gap to Theo Pursher in the individual classification, but remained third. And the Frenchman gained five points back from Frederic Vesti, as he took 9th place in the sprint, and there’s nothing you can do about that on Saturday.

That. The Dane’s lead has been reduced to just one point, and in tomorrow’s sprint, starting from third position, he will have to solve difficult tasks, as Purscher will also start the race from the second row and do everything he can to stay ahead of the championship leader.

Oliver Berman, British Prema rider, is to be congratulated on yet another podium finish – he’s already taken three wins but hasn’t finished in the top three anywhere else until today.