F2 Saudi Arabia GP: Iwasa controls sprint race after early move

Dams’ Ayumu Iwasa controlled the race early on to secure the first win of his 2023 campaign, in Saudi Arabia, holding off the advances of both Victor Martins (ART) and Jehan Daruvala (MP Motorsport).

• Carlin’s Zane Maloney brought out the first safety car after the Barbadian spun out on lap two, at the second corner, after he tussled for track position
• ART’s Theo Pourchaire caused the safety car to be redeployed as he collided with the side of Prema’s Oliver Bearman on lap six
• ART’s Victor Martins, who was placed in P10 after securing pole position yesterday, charged his way through the field to finish in second. 

After a quick set of lights, Crawford got a great getaway as the lights went out to maintain his race lead as the pack reached turn one.

The following field of drivers managed to wind through turns one, two and three without any issues. After the first set of corners, Crawford remained in the lead ahead of Dams’ Ayumu Iwasa and Campos’ Ralph Boschung who sat in second and third respectively.

When the drivers completed the first lap, Iwasa put Crawford under pressure before he snatched the lead away inside the braking zone of the first corner. Further back, Maloney spun out on his own accord at the second corner after he tussled for track position with Trident’s Clément Novalak.

The safety car was deployed as a result. At the end of the fourth lap, the safety car bolted off as it made its return to the pit lane which left Iwasa as the pacesetter.

Iwasa opted not to launch his car down the pit straight at the earliest opportunity instead, the Japanese driver opted to wait a few seconds before he took the field back to green-flag conditions – on lap five.

Due to Iwasa’s decision, Crawford was put under pressure by Boschung on the restart and went wheel-to-wheel with the Campos driver into the first chicane. However, it was Bsochung who won that battle as the Campos driver moved up to second place.

Crawford later lost another position to MP Motorsport’s Jehan Daravula who moved up to third.

two laps later, on lap six, Boschung found himself six-tenths behind the race leader. However, the safety car was soon redeployed after ART’s Theo Pourchaire collided with Prema’s Oliver Bearman into the first corner.

Inspired by the lap before when Pourchaire dove down the inside of turn one, Pourchaire lunged down the inside of turn one in a bid to overtake his teammate and the Feature Race’s pole sitter: Victor Martins. However, the ART driver accidentally collected Bearman in the process

Ultimately, both drivers were forced to retire from the race due to the collision. It has been speculated that the ART driver will receive a grid penalty for the feature race due to the incident.

At the end of lap nine – of 20 – the safety car returned to the pit lane. Once enough distance was given between Iwasa and the safety car, the Dams driver decided to take a different approach compared to his previous attempt.

As Iwasa led the pack towards the final corner, the Red Bull-backed driver decided to get the race underway again inside the braking zone of turn 27. The decision to go super early allowed the Japanese driver to race down into turn one unchallenged.

On lap 13, third-placed Daruvala got his elbows out in the early corners of the lap to demote Boschung into third place. Seven laps remained and the race lead was clearly in sight for the Indian MP Motorsport driver.

However, for Boschung, Martins took a leaf out of his teammate’s book and lunged to the apex of the first corner to snatch away the final podium-awarding position from the Campos driver.

Daruvala made a move for the race lead, as the race commenced on lap 17, but Iwasa forced the Indian driver the long way around. As the Dams driver was able to park his car on the apex of turn two, Daruvala lost momentum on the corner exit.

In conclusion, it opened the door for Martins to move up into second place – and with a high chance of fighting for the race lead – after he started in 10th.

Podium: 

1. Ayumu Iwasa, Dams
2. Victor Martins, ART
3. Jehan Daruvala, MP Motorsport

That’s it for the article: F2 Saudi Arabia GP: Iwasa controls sprint race after early move!

What do you think of Victor Martins’ charge through the field? Let us know in the comments!

Read more Formula Two here:

• F2 Bahrain Feature Race: Pourchaire dominates first feature race of 2023
• F2 2023 Bahrain: Boschung secures maiden win comfortably ahead of Hauger
• Dams confirm Arthur Leclerc to join 2023 F2 grid
• Abu Dhabi GP: MP Motorsport clench team title as Iwasa wins
• Abu Dhabi GP: Iwasa takes pole in final F2 qualifying of 2022
• Dutch GP: Armstrong commands win in inaugural Holland sprint

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.