The action-packed opener of the first Formula 2 Feature Race saw Barbadian Zane Maloney win his 2nd F2 race in less than 24 hours. A very rare feat to achieve due to reversed grid rules. Rodin Motorsport’s member and Sauber Academy Driver won a race with a comfortable 4.6-second gap to Campos’ Pepe Marti.
“From the start of the weekend, we knew we were quick on any tire and in any condition, but to win two races is just unbelievable! To get this confidence now is great! I had to wait over a year from my last win in F3, so to get two now is great,” said Maloney after his Feature Race win.
The hectic Feature Race saw 1 Virtual Safety Car and the first Safety Car of the season.
Maloney took advantage of poor getaways by Invicta’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Campos’ Isack Hadjar. It culminated with a lead into turn 1, and the young Caribbean driver never looked back.
Rodin’s driver was joined on the podium by Pepe Marti and Hitech’s Paul Aron. Both drivers profited throughout the race as they started 11th and 12th respectively. Therefore, this race marks a double podium opener for both Maloney and Marti.
Zak O’Sullivan ended up the race in 4th place after starting 6th. The Briton gained 4 positions at the start, but weaker tire management saw him drop back.
Argentinian rookie Franco Colapinto was “sandwiched” by a resurrecting drive from the Invicta outfit, crossing the line in 6th.
Current F3 champion Bortoleto drove another consistent race despite a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Isack Hadjar to end up in 5th. Initial Feature Race pole-position holder, Kush Maini achieved a heroic run by ending up 15 places above his grid position in 7th.
Maini’s Feature Race result can be attributed not only to the calculated box strategy during the Safety Car period but also thanks to the race pace on the softest tire compound. That allowed both Invicta’s drivers to clear most of the grid on their way to the wealthy amount of points.
The final three points-paying positions were awarded to the Fastest Lap holder MP’s Dennis Hauger who lost on massively due to his tires being on the cliff in the dying phase of the race.
Ritmo Miyata and Andrea Kimi Antonelli closed the top 10 to bag their maiden F2 points.
Points standings after the Feature Race (2/28)
| 1. | Zane Maloney (Rodin Motorsport) | 36 pts. |
| 2. | Pepe Marti (Campos) | 24 pts. |
| 3. | Paul Aron (Hitech) | 19 pts. |
| 4. | Gabriel Bortoleto (Invicta) | 15 pts. |
| 5. | Zak o’ Sullivan (ART) | 14 pts. |
| 6. | Jak Crawford (DAMS) | 8 pts. |
| 7. | Franco Colapinto (MP) | 6 pts. |
| 8. | Kush Maini (Invicta) | 6 pts. |
| 9. | Dennis Hauger (MP) | 5 pts. |
| 10. | Isack Hadjar (Campos) | 2 pts. |
Thrills of Bahrain F2 Feature Race
The first Feature race of the season proved to be deadly for some cars’ Mecachrome engines. Sprint Race’s podium holder Jak Crawford, title contender Victor Martins, Amaury Cordeel, and Juan Manuel Correa had to retire due to either direct engine issues or electronic issues regarding the power unit.
Contact in turn 1 between Bortoleto and Hadjar resulted in the latter spinning from P2 and in the process being hit by VAR’s Enzo Fittipaldi, who had not seen a spun Red Bull-painted Campos. The safety car entered the track, and drivers had to “cut” turn 1 to avoid the early mayhem of the Feature race.
Horrible race craft by Prema Racing in the first part of the race was turned into a hunt for points, both by Bearman and Antonelli, when they switched for a red set of tires. At one point, the Italian outfit gained 10 positions with both cars, but soon it was visible that both Antonelli and Bearman pushed their tires above the limit.
Pre-season title contenders fell back behind Invicta cars and Rodin’s Ritomo Miyata. Bearman’s race was more disappointing as the young Britton ended up way outside the points in 15th place.
Haas’s young driver was lucky not to retire following a strange side-by-side contact with Amaury Cordeel at turn 15.
There was also an impressive battle for 8th place between seven drivers.
The next round of the Formula 2 campaign is set for next week on the streets of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.