Lindblad takes first-ever Formula 2 victory in Jeddah, Red Bull junior one-two

18:06, 19 Apr

Updated: 18:14, 19 Apr

byKada Sarkozi

Red Bull supertalent Arvid Lindblad managed to win for the first time in Formula 2 at the Sprint Race in Jeddah. Lindblad's teammate, Pepe Marti finished in second, while McLaren junior Alex Dunne completed the podium in the Sprint race.

Richard Verschoor crossed the finish line in Jeddah, but because of a five-second penalty he fell back to P4, but got an additional point for the fastest lap of the race.

Still, the Dutchman could lose further positions, as he is investigated by the stewards for Safety Car infringement.

Robert Stanek finished in P5, ahead of Gabriele Mini, who had an eventful race, cutting the first turn on multiple occasions. Leonardo Fornaroli and Victor Martins finished in the final points-paying positions today.

In terms of the standings, Marti and Dunne lead the championship with 31-31 points each.

As it happened

While Robert Stanek should have been on pole position after finishing in P10 on Friday, the Czech driver was handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Alex Dunne.

Therefore, Verschoor started from the first grid slot, with Alpine junior Gabriele Mini completing the front row.

The Dutchman could keep the lead, but the Italian lost second place to Red Bull junior Marti. Meanwhile, Cian Shields's Sprint race ended already ahead of reaching Turn 1, and his AIX Racing car was pushed off the track under VSC conditions.

After the restart, Red Bull talent Lindblad got up to P3 in the final corner. Then into Turn 1, the other Campos Racing driver also showed his skills as he took the lead from Verschoor.

A lap later, the MP Motorsport driver managed to reclaim the lead, completing the same move as the young Spaniard did before. On Lap 8, Marti lost two positions after going wide, but he could reovertake Mini into Turn 1.

On Lap 16, as Jak Crawford tried to get past the Prema driver, he spun in Turn 1, and his car was stalled, causing a Safety Car. As the drivers had to go through the pit lane, John Bennett was suddenly in the lead, but went into the pits ahead of the restart.

Verschoor could keep the lead after this restart, but it was announced that he received a five-second penalty for forcing another driver off the track, handing the victory to Lindblad.